Front Row Seat: Padres alone atop NL West ahead of Dodgers series

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Talking movies & Padres with Adnan Virk

From MLB Network and the Cinephile podcast, Adnan Virk joins the guys to talk about his new book about movies and the Padres challenging the Dodgers.

Section 1904Darren Smith

San Diego Padres

Padres alone atop NL West as showdown looms in LA - Padres.com
The turnaround has been stunning. The Padres are 23-12 in that span. In the middle of that stretch, they significantly upgraded their roster, making five deals on Trade Deadline Day involving a whopping 22 players.

Now – with a showdown atop the NL West looming in Los Angeles this weekend – it's the Dodgers playing the role of chasers. The Padres hold a one-game edge, marking the latest in a season they've held sole possession of first place since 2010.

Padres alone in first place after sweep, Dodgers loss - San Diego Union-Tribune
An 11-1 rout of the Giants on Wednesday afternoon, which completed a three-game sweep at Oracle Park, is what made it possible for the Padres to be alone in the first place this late in a season for the first time since there were eight games to play in the 2010 season.

That will be their standing when they begin a three-game series on Friday at Dodger Stadium.

“It’s huge,” Fernando Tatis Jr. said. “That’s what we’re playing for. Now, we’ve got to take a lead in first place and stay consistent. And this is the team to do it. It’s now a matter of fact. It’s in our hands how much we want it.”

By the numbers: How the Padres overtook the Dodgers in the race for the NL West - The Athletic
On June 18 at Dodger Stadium, Bogaerts laced a tying double in the top of the ninth. Later, after a walk-off loss, he lamented that he was still failing to provide enough production. At the time, the $280 million shortstop ranked 109th among qualifying players with 0.7 WAR, according to FanGraphs. The majority of that value had come through his defense.

Bogaerts has since been one of the most productive players in baseball. His 2.3 WAR over the past eight weeks is fifth most among major-league hitters — one spot ahead of Ohtani, the NL home run leader. Bogaerts is still playing solid defense and still stealing bases, but he’s also gone from an offensive liability to a middle-of-the-order asset. Since June 19, he has hit .326 with a .908 OPS.

San Diego Padres Week in Review: August 4 – August 10 - MadFriars
Another week, and yet another dominant start from Miguel Mendez. The right-hander allowed just two unearned runs on one hit over six innings, walking four, while striking out a career-high 11 batters in his Double-A debut. Mendez’s fastball was once again electric while he showed two impressive sliders. The 23-year-old has had a stellar year, posting a 1.60 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 78.2 innings across three levels.

Dodgers’ failure to improve their bullpen spurred freefall with no end in sight - Los Angeles Times
The geniuses in the front office improved the farm system more than they did the obviously problematic bullpen at the trade deadline, resulting in blown lead after blown lead after blown lead.

Games have become “Choose Your Own Adventure” books in which every choice available to manager Dave Roberts ends in disaster, with relievers giving up leads in four of the team’s last seven games.

The recent activation of Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell have made the starting pitching whole, but what does it matter if the bullpen can’t close out games?

Mookie Betts has started hitting and the offense has picked up, but what does it matter if the relievers give the runs right back?

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