September settles everything: debates over the MVPs, pursuits of the Triple Crown, playoff races.
Even with college football popping shoulder pads and the NFL quickening pulses, baseball seeps
into the conversation, captures the imagination. Nobody can believe the National League West is this bad.
And who knew that Derrek Lee could be this good? A look at what to watch in baseball’s final month.
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The San Diego Padres’ Eric Young walked from batting practice into the tunnel when his smile vanished.
The question threatened to ruin his day: Can the Padres be the best if they are the worst?
“You guys can talk all you want about the record and make a big thing about it,” Young said. “I just know that if we get into the playoffs, anything can happen.”
Like a sweep, for instance, picked apart by the St. Louis Cardinals. The traditional excitement around a division race does not apply when the leader sits at .500, the definition of mediocrity.
The Padres, however, won’t apologize for leading the NL West heading into the final month of play, even if it took a victory Wednesday to get back to .500.
They hear the jokes, the under- the-breath snickers about how they are a first-place team in name only, baseball’s equivalent of the Big 12 North’s best.
“I really don’t care as long as we get in,” Padres general manager Kevin Towers said. “If we have to limp in, we do.”
The division race is captivating in the same way a car wreck produces rubberneckers. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Padres would be the fourth team to make the playoffs after sitting beneath .500 after 125 games or more, joining the 1974 Orioles, 1984 Royals and the 1973 Mets.
That distinction has long since been erased from the mind of Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca, who joined that Mets team in September.
“What I remember is how hot we got after we got healthy with the return of Buddy Harrelson,” Apodaca said. “It was exciting to be part of it.”
The Mets finished 9-2, then proceeded to wipe out the heavily favored Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS before losing the World Series in seven games to Oakland.
Nobody likes to hear excuses when digesting standings, but injuries have devastated the NL West this season. Lineups have been duct-taped together by former Mexican League players, big-league gypsies and prospects.
“The teams have not been very good at all,” former Dodgers pitcher and current broadcaster Fernando Valenzuela said. “It’s been crazy.”
On Tuesday, Ricky Ledee, with nine home runs, hit cleanup for the Dodgers. Joe Randa, who has never hit 20 home runs, fills the coveted third spot for the Padres. The Giants have used Edgardo Alfonzo, J.T. Snow and Ray Durham in the middle of their order. Giants manager Felipe Alou called the state of the division “a shame.”
You half-expected Paul Simon to eschew the seventh-inning stretch Wednesday and sing, “Where have you gone, Barry Bonds, a division turns its lonely eyes to you.”
“Injuries have played a huge role; so many teams have been decimated,” said Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd, who welcomes back shortstop Clint Barmes and outfielder Brad Hawpe on Friday. “I still think the Padres are in great position because no team behind them has shown they are capable of winning the eight to 10 straight games needed to overtake them.”
Arizona’s offense is explosive, but it has not been able to overcome a bullpen that has become a SuperFund site. The Diamondbacks’ relievers have a 6.24 ERA, which Elias says is the worst since the 1950 St. Louis Browns. They’ve been a mess since closer Brandon Lyon went out with elbow problems four months ago.
“And then both us and the Padres had pathetic Junes,” Arizona starter Shawn Estes said. “But it’s about how many games you are back, not the record, so we feel like we have hope.”
Everybody but the Rockies remains a contender. But Colorado has the division’s best record since June 1, 37-46.
“It would have been a good year to be halfway decent,” Rockies first baseman Todd Helton said. “Any other year, we’re in it right now.”
