The Amazing Padres

There hasn't been one intelligent baseball writer in the world that hasn't expected the Padres to fall down at some point this season. We're still holding our breath. But our faces are turning all shades of colors because the Padres have refused to fall down. Their 1-0 win over the Cubs was the perfect representation of their season. They scored their one run on a ground out in the first inning. They got only three hits all night. But they won the game as the Cubs did not score. You may say that the Cubs looked listless and you may have been correct. But even so, the Padres won the game. The Padres have won more games than any other National League team thus far. Amazing. Here are some pertinanent facts you should know about the Padres:

• They could finish the season one game under .500 in their remaining 43 games and still win 93 games.
• The Padres are 24-16 in one run games.
• They are 22-8 in blowout games which is defined as a win by more than five runs.
• They have a better winning percentage in the second half than they did in the first half. So much for that theory.
• The Padres' rotation has made 117 starts in the Padres 119 games. They won both the starts their regular rotation didn't figure into the results.
• Their pitching is first in the NL in hits allowed, runs given up and ERA.
• The Padres have four relief pitchers with sub 2 ERAs.
• As a team, the Padres have 2.55 K/BB ratio.
• The Padres are second in the National League in stolen bases and they are successful 73% of the time.
• The Padres are first in the NL in fielding efficiency and third in fielding percentage.
• Their catchers have thrown out 37% of base stealing attempts.

There is no way anyone could have expected this to happen. There is no way that anyone would have believed it if you told them in advance. The Padres have 43 games left. If they can hold on and win the division, it will be one of the biggest baseball stories of the year.