Padres predicted to secure final NL Wild Card spot over Diamondbacks for one reason
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Padres predicted to secure final NL Wild Card spot over Diamondbacks for one reason originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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The San Diego Padres are facing off against their NL West division rival, the Arizona Diamondbacks, for the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League.
It's a close competition, but the Padres do have a distinct advantage over the Diamondbacks, and it's not with Mason Miller being MLB's best closer.
Instead, as ESPN's Jorge Castillo pointed out, it's all about the Padres' offense. He and 11 other ESPN MLB experts predicted the Padres would beat the D-Backs for the final Wild Card spot, thanks in large part to their better offense.
Padres predicted to beat D-Backs for final Wild Card spot thanks to their offense
"It comes down to the Padres' offense," Castillo writes. "... The Padres have cooled off, but they boast a strong rotation and an elite bullpen anchored by the best closer in baseball, Mason Miller. They'll beat out Arizona if the offense continues performing to expectations."
While the Padres might have a questionable starting rotation, Nick Pivetta is back, and there's a chance this rotation could be good if everyone is healthy. Michael King, Pivetta, Robbie Ray, and Casey Mize are a strong starting four.
Their elite bullpen will also help, especially with how dominant Miller has been this season. But the really interesting part of the team that could make the difference is the offense.
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Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Jackson Merrill, and Ty France lead this offense. While they've been better than the Diamondbacks, it's actually not due to the Padres being elite.
In the last 15 days, the Padres have MLB's 27th-ranked offense with a .613 OPS, while the Diamondbacks are ranked 28th with a .592 OPS.
Even though the Padres haven't been hitting well lately, as long as they stay ahead of the Diamondbacks, they should be able to take the third Wild Card spot over Arizona.
It's going to be a close race, but Castillo and his fellow ESPN MLB experts believe the Padres will be able to secure the third Wild Card, with their offense being one of the big reasons why.
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