PHOENIX — Postseason baseball will soon return to Petco Park. Friday, the San Diego Padres guaranteed themselves home-field advantage with a win at Chase Field. Then on Saturday, they demonstrated their depth against an Arizona Diamondbacks team that continues to chase a playoff berth.
Three regulars received a night off. Randy Vásquez, recalled to start a relatively meaningless game, did not allow a hit until the sixth. Kyle Higashioka and Donovan Solano homered. In a 5-0 shutout of the D-Backs, so did pinch running/defensive specialist Brandon Lockridge.
“All of the last three weeks have been like a dream to me,” said Lockridge, a 27-year-old who made his big-league debut Sept. 13. “It’s something I’ve dreamed about my whole entire life. It’s a surreal moment coming in here every single day with this group of guys. It’s literally a dream come true.”
Brandon just locked in his first @MLB home run 🔒 pic.twitter.com/MImtAs80ZB
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 29, 2024
It’s about to get more real. A best-of-three National League wild-card series begins Tuesday against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. Whoever the Padres face, their depth should help. Here is one attempt at projecting a 26-man roster.
Starting pitchers
Dylan Cease
Michael King
Joe Musgrove
Yes, King is expected to make his first postseason start — or at least be reserved for a potential Game 3 — after Friday’s home-field-clinching victory rendered his services unnecessary for Sunday’s regular-season finale. The right-hander has been the Padres’ most consistent starter since early May. In the San Diego rotation, his strikeout rate ranks second only to Cease, who has long made sense as a Game 1 starter.
Musgrove, meanwhile, has resembled the vintage version of himself since he returned from the injured list in August. It’s a stark contrast from the pitcher who clearly was not healthy early in the season. And he appears to be a pitcher capable of approaching the memorable performances Musgrove delivered in October 2022. Yu Darvish remains the Padres’ most experienced postseason option, but he pitched more recently than the other three starters already mentioned, and he returned from a lengthy IL stint only this month. (More on him in a moment.)
The main question here: In what order would the Padres start the trio listed above? If they end up advancing in two games, who would they prefer pitch the first game of a division series? Of course, they first need to worry about trying to get out of the wild-card round. Perhaps they cannot go wrong with any order. But Cease in Game 1 and King in Game 2 would make some sense.
Bullpen
Closer options: Robert Suarez, Tanner Scott, Jason Adam
Late-inning mix: Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morejon
Middle/length: Wandy Peralta, Bryan Hoeing, Yuki Matsui, Yu Darvish
Yes, that’s Darvish’s name on a list of projected relievers. He has never pitched out of the bullpen in the majors, but he did do so twice for Samurai Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. In this scenario, of course, the Padres would deploy Darvish as an intriguing weapon only if absolutely necessary; they would much prefer to save him and, should they not require a Game 3, perhaps Musgrove or King for starts in a division series. Also in this 12-pitcher scenario, Martín Pérez gets left off the wild-card roster after starting Sunday’s regular-season finale.
By now, everyone knows this could be the best collection of high-leverage relievers in baseball. But it is not an impregnable group. Suarez has been shaky for the greater part of the past two months, and the fastball-reliant closer is trying to adjust by throwing more changeups than ever. Scott, another All-Star, has had only a few clean appearances in a busy September. Still, the Padres figure to stick with what got them here — with Adam (mostly) handling the seventh, Scott (mostly) handling the eighth and Suarez (mostly) handling the ninth.
Starting lineup
C: Kyle Higashioka
1B: Donovan Solano
2B: Jake Cronenworth
SS: Xander Bogaerts
3B: Manny Machado
LF: Jurickson Profar
CF: Jackson Merrill
RF: Fernando Tatis Jr.
DH: Luis Arraez
This is probably San Diego’s ideal alignment now that Ha-Seong Kim is done for the season. The Padres must hope Bogaerts continues to get comfortable back at shortstop and that Solano’s recent slump doesn’t last. Saturday’s home run, of course, was a promising sign. So were Solano’s other three hits.
If the Padres face a right-handed starter, they can move Arraez to first base and David Peralta to designated hitter. Peralta arguably has been the team’s most underrated pickup. The 37-year-old has hit .272/.340/.422 in 90 games with San Diego. Since the All-Star break, he’s hit .285/.356/.479.
Bench
C: Elias Díaz
UTIL: Tyler Wade
INF: Nick Ahmed
OF: David Peralta
OF: Brandon Lockridge
Like Díaz, Ahmed, 34, has never played in the postseason. But he could be a more-than-fine emergency option at shortstop. And in Saturday’s Padres debut, he showed defensive versatility, playing second base for the first time since he was a 24-year-old rookie.
Lockridge has shown the Padres exactly what they hoped to see. The speedster is 2-for-2 in steal attempts. He’s filled in at all three outfield positions. As Saturday suggested, he does not lack for occasional pop. The dream, for Lockridge, will continue.
(Photo of Brandon Lockridge celebrating his ninth-inning homer Saturday with Jurickson Profar: Joe Camporeale / Imagn Images)
