As San Diego’s surviving player, Wil Myers is regularly asked about the major differences between the current edition of the Padres and the other teams he has played for since his arrival in December 2014.
Overall, Myers’ answers are insightful and complex. He has spoken at length about organizational culture and the shift to a winning mindset. But Myers may have put it best on the eve of the regular season, when he was asked that question for the umpteenth time. What exactly is the difference?
“We have really good players,” said Myers.
Simple as that. The 2021 Padres – headed for an 8-3 start and four straight winners to start their road trip – have really, really good players.
Myers among them, of course. The right fielder of the Padres went 3-for-5 with a homer and five RBI’s when they opened a run of four games in Pittsburgh with a 6-2 victory.
Yu Darvish too. The veteran righthanded man delivered exactly what the Padres needed after asking six relievers to beat 8 1/3 innings in Texas on Sunday. Darvish saved a beleaguered bullpen in San Diego with seven innings from a ball in one run. He was efficient and effective, striking out six and giving up only three hits.
“Not just yesterday, but we have many consecutive races in the pipeline,” said Darvish, fully aware that the Padres are in the early stages of a trajectory with 17 races in 17 days. “Honestly, the goal for me tonight was to stay in the game as long as possible.”
Early in the game, Darvish said he was pitching for contact, looking for quick outs. Sure enough, he flew through four innings on just 52 pitches, although he only struckout two batters in that period. As the game progressed, Darvish began to expand a bit more, looking for chases. He has them too.
“He was excellent,” said Padres manager Jayce Tingler. ‘Yes, you win. But it also resets some guys in the bullpen for us which is huge. … He did exactly what we needed to do tonight. “
It was just the kind of outing the Padres intended for Darvish when they bought him in December. He has now worked at least seven innings in seven of his last 13 starts. He held out at least six in 12 of those outings (except for an early exit on Opening Day this season, when he was on the pitch).
Padres pitchers have combined to post a 1.80 ERA – the lowest figure through 11 games in franchise history. And after Darvish it cannot be stopped. San Diego’s two other off-season big names – Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove – will get the ball for the next two nights.
“It’s a lot of fun to play behind,” Myers said of the Padres’ revamped rotation. “It’s pretty wild to see these guys, their nasty throws. I’m glad I don’t have to face them. “
Fresh off his historic no-hitter on Friday night, Musgrove was named the winner of the National League Player of the Week Award Monday afternoon – a week after Eric Hosmer won the honor. Since last season, five of the last 10 NL Players of the Week have been Padres – more than the franchise had seen in the past six years combined.
As Myers said, good players. And in 11 games this season, it was also different players who played the lead on different nights.
“That just shows you the team we have,” said Myers. “Every man we have in this line-up has the opportunity to take over a match, and if you fill a line-up with such men, you will find a man who is going to be fine every night. That’s what makes a great team. “
The Padres all look like the complete team Myers envisioned for the season. Sure, they’ve played eight of their 11 games against last-place teams from 2020, but they win those games and win them convincingly (though not necessarily flawless).
“You will play in a lot of games if you pitch it and play it well [defense], and I like where we attack, ”said Tingler. “We still have a lot of room to improve, which is exciting too.”