Padres' trade deadline chess moves back the Dodgers into a corner

Friars fans are focused this morning. A.J. Preller has announced to the city of San Diego, and the world of baseball as a whole that the Friars are going all in. That has to be the mantra for the Padres after deciding to part with top prospect Leo De Vries for pitchers Mason Miller and J.P. Sears. The Padres know the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers are the dragon they have to slay and have acted accordingly, with sword in hand.

While most are focusing on the two pitchers the Friars have acquired, and deservedly so, there were two major incidents involving NL West pitchers on Wednesday. For one, buried underneath all the trade deadline news was Yu Darvish's dominant and historic outing. Darvish was able to return to form with zero earned runs in seven innings pitched against the New York Mets. Throw in seven strikeouts and no walks, and it was easy to see why the Padres have no qualms about trading other pitchers.

The other incident yesterday concerned the Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani, who was on the mound against the Reds, exited the game in the fourth inning after multiple wild pitches. Not only were the pitches concerning, but Ohtani himself motioned to the dugout for help. This on the same day that Darvish became the leader for most combined wins for a Japanese born pitcher.

As for that dragon, the Friars are now only three games back in the division after sweeping the NL East leading Mets. The Padres now have the best bullpen in baseball with the acquisition of Mason Miller and J.P. Sears from the A's. Add six more head-to-head matchups against the rival Dodgers and Preller has put the Padres in perfect position for the postseason, not to mention the NL West title.

Mason Miller holds a 3.76 ERA in 38-plus innings and has been added to an already strong bullpen. As for bats, Luis Arraez and Xander Bogaerts have both been on a tear as of late, while the Friars' offense scored 19 runs in their three-game series against the Mets. After scaling the mountaintop the Dodgers have learned how quickly one can turn from hunter to hunted, and with their recent additions, the Padres are salivating.