Many golf fans know Adam Scott, the veteran Australian player whose impressive resume includes winning the Masters.
Padres fans are getting familiar with relievers Jason Adam and Tanner Scott, but only if they’re up late for Padres night games.
Adam and Scott, and maybe Scott and Adam are more appropriate, with Scott being an All-Star, are among the newest Padres.
A.J. Preller, the Padres’ head honcho in acquiring talent, did just that in spades at the trading deadline. Throw in another bullpen piece in Bryan Hoeing and veteran southpaw starter Martin Perez, and it was quite an arms haul.
Raise a hand if you’re enjoying this recent run of Padres baseball.
While the wheeling-and-dealing Preller, an Encinitas resident, has done his thing outside the lines, don’t discount what’s gone on between them.
The temperatures aren’t the only thing sizzling in our region.
The Padres set sail Tuesday on a two-city, six-game road trip with quite a distinction: no baseball team is hotter since the All-Star break.
San Diego roared into the second half like a team bent on doing something special. Thanks to a recent homestand, which only increased their buzz, they won 11 of their first 14 games since the Midsummer Classic.
A two-game sweep of the dreaded Dodgers included erasing a 5-0 deficit in the opener. Then the Padres conquered their unlikely nemesis, the Colorado Rockies, in taking two of three games.
The Padres have climbed back into the National League West race, increasing their chances for a wild-card spot if they fall short of the divisional crown.
Residing alongside baseball royalty isn’t quite yet where the Padres hang. But with their never-say-die attitude and obvious determination not to repeat their sour 2023 season, the local nine is humming.
That slumped-shoulders vibe of last year has gone the way of sparse Petco Park crowds.
The players’ entitlement and arrogance, regularly displayed in ‘23, have vanished into a sea of backslaps and atta-boys.
Manny Machado has been en fuego since June 17, hitting .318 with 11 homers and 28 RBIs.
Jackson Merrill continues to build his case as the National League’s rookie of the year.
Jurickson Profar, by far, is among baseball’s most incredible stories with his eye-opening and unsuspecting production.
Dylan Cease, no kidding, threw the franchise’s second no-hitter.
Robert Suarez is a lights-out closer who now has a complement of late-inning specialists to lean on.
Toss in righty Joe Musgrove (elbow) and right-fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (leg), hopefully returning from injuries, and it’s easy to see why it’s been a summer to remember that could leak into a fall that nobody forgets.
Pitcher Matt Waldron has even successfully unleashed his unpredictable knuckleball. But he doesn’t dance around a question on the Padres’ potent offense.
“It’s fun to watch,” he said. “It’s like a ticking time bomb, knowing that something will happen and they will erupt. I’m glad I’m not pitching against our hitters.”
Manager Mike Shildt’s offering is unmistakable. The Padres have maintained an attitude since spring training despite the ups and downs and twists and turns that ride shotgun with any season.
Padres fans have long kept the faith — often, it’s been a hit-and-miss proposition with the players.
Not this year, so says Shildt, of a team which has won five straight series.
“Confidence is important to all of us,” he said. “I know that we’ve been pretty confident about what we’ve been able to do and the way we’ve gone about it. I appreciate the dedication to that identity.
“We talked a lot early on about establishing it, showing it, and then staying true to it.”
The Padres have hoisted countless false flags. Maybe this bunch is different with a great attitude and, more importantly, a great Scott in the bullpen.
Contact Jay Paris at [email protected] and follow him @jparis_sports
