Are the San Diego Padres out of touch with reality?
Padres manager Bud Black and his players contend they’re not. They say prognosticators who picked them to finish last in the National League West, and still expect them to fade, don’t recognize the real thing.
“They didn’t pay attention,” snapped first baseman Adrian Gonzalez when asked why he thought baseball experts don’t rate the Padres highly. “They haven’t paid attention to the talent we have. As long as we continue to play good baseball, it doesn’t matter what they call us. All that matters is that we’re in first place.”
The Padres hold a two-game lead over the Rockies and 2 1/2 over the Dodgers as they begin the second half tonight with a three- game homestand against Arizona.
Gonzalez predicts a tight race that will go down to the wire among the Padres, Rockies, Dodgers and Giants.
The Padres have a couple of potent talking points when it comes to staying in the race. Their staff ERA of 3.25 is the best in baseball. And, their fielding percentage of .990 is tied for the best. Great pitching and defense has made up for a mediocre offense.
“We’re going to do everything we can to continue to surprise people,” Black said. “We’re happy with our position. We know there’s a long ways to go, but when you can pitch well and play defense, it gives you a chance to win games.”
Black acknowledged that the Padres have to pick it up offensively to keep their lead.
“This team hasn’t reached its full potential,” infielder David Eckstein chimed in. “Our pitching has been steady, and we have a lot of guys offensively who haven’t broken out yet. The way we play unselfish baseball, we win games.”
“We’re shooting for a strong finish,” outfielder Scott Hairston said. “If they watched what we did at the end of the season last year, they shouldn’t be surprised.”
San Diego was among the best teams in the NL after the all-star break a year ago.
Former Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba said the best is to come.
“In the second half, we’re going to get that winning streak that we haven’t had yet,” Torrealba said. “Some other teams already have had their streak.”
Third baseman Chase Headley, who played high school ball at Fountain-Fort Carson, has heard about all the doubters.
“Everybody thought we’d stink at the start the year,” Headley said. “We know we’re a good team. Our focus has been on the game we’re playing that day. That’s the recipe of how we go about our business. Everybody probably is waiting for us to fold. That’s the natural thing to do.”
Just don’t expect the Padres to do so anytime soon.
“In this game, you have to have thick skin and be insensitive to comments that are made of you as a team,” Black said. “You validate on the field what you are. If we continue to play like we have, we’ll be in the mix.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
