Padres 6, Diamondbacks 1

Following our trip to Seattle, we took three out of four from the Diamondbacks after a series opening shutout to Drey Jameson (ever heard of him?). We looked flat in that game, Manaea was his usual average self, and Milwaukee gained a game on us by beating the Yankees at home.

From Game 2 on, we dominated. Snell pitched seven (I know, right?), the offense put on a clinic, and we won, 12-3. In Game 3, Musgrove shut out the Snakes for six, Hader got the save, and pitcher MVP Nick Martinez bridged the gap with two shutout innings, as we blanked them, 2-0. No ground gained, though, as the Brewers stuffed the Yankees again. Game 4, a similar script. Darvish pitched six shutout innings, and Suarez and Morejon mopped up in a 6-1 victory. The Yankees salvaged the last game of their series with the Brewers, so that we now have a 2 1/2 game lead over them with 15 games to go.

Now this is where it could get tricky. We have an off day, followed by Clevinger facing the Cardinals at home. They've got Waino in Game 1, but it appears Manaea's start will be skipped with the off day, and Snell will face St. Louis in Game 2 on a full four days of rest. Well, at this point we need to deliver, every game will count even more. No rest for the weary after that, though, as we go to Coors Field after that. The Dodgers come to San Diego after that series, and we can only hope that they might experiment a little after they have all but landed the one seed for the playoffs.

As a side note, we went 14-5 against the Diamondbacks for the year, a team we traditionally struggle against. Manny had a two-run homer (who else?) and Soto went 3-for-4 with a dinger in yesterday's game. Drury is back in the lineup following his concussion, and he gave us an immediate boost. Campusano, recalled from the Minors, has hit well, so that we now have an alternative to Nola and Alfaro behind the plate. Azocar has been starting in Grish's place, and I like the results so far. Think we might get rolling at the right time here?

I heard something about the skipper getting loud following our Game 1 loss in Phoenix, so let's see what happens from here on out. We are guaranteed at least a .500 record this season, something we haven't had since 2010. Darvish is 15-7 on the year, a nice comeback from last year. He will need to continue to pitch like an ace if we want to make a run in the playoffs. Snell has certainly turned it around in the second half of this year, which I didn't expect. Profar has been slumping, which is not good. We might need another leadoff hitter soon if he folds.