The Padres are built to win with pitching. I'm not sharing state secrets divulging that.
But in the last few weeks, the Padres pitching staff has been better than good. These guys have been dominant.
Friday was the latest in a string of stellar starts. Eric Stults, who had not won a game since May 10, went seven shutout innings, striking out a season-high-tying six batters in a 2-0 win over the Giants at Petco Park.
Joaquin Benoit worked a perfect 8th inning to lower his ERA to 1.26. Huston Street only needed eight pitches to secure his 23rd straight save chance, the longest active streak in Major League Baseball.
From here, let's take a look at the official post-game notes from the team:
o With the Padres holding the Giants without a run this afternoon, today marks the second consecutive shutout for the Padres, as they also held the Reds scoreless on Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park…this is the 29th time in franchise history and the first time since September 15-16 of last season at Atlanta and at Pittsburgh, respectively, that the Padres have pitched consecutive shutouts…this is the first time since May 1-2, 2012 that the Padres had back-to-back shutouts at Petco Park (vs. MIL).
o The shutout win was not only the Padres second in a row, but also their third in the last four games and the fourth in the last 10 games.
o Over the Padres last 15 games since June 18, the Padres pitching staff has posted a 10-5 record with a 1.54 ERA (23 ER, 134.0 IP), the best mark in the Majors in that time…the starters own a 1.92 ERA (21 ER, 98.1 IP) while the bullpen has pitched to a 0.50 ERA (2 ER, 35.2 IP) in that time, both being the best mark in the Majors in that time.
That's not too shabby, is it? Oh, and the Padres are also the only team in the league to have not lost a game that they led after 7.0 innings (28-0). Keep in mind, this is a team that has six starting pitchers on the disabled list. Opening Night starter Andrew Cashner only has two wins on the whole season.
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On Friday the Padres got their minimal offense from Alexi Amarista, who had a pair of hits including a solo home run, and Chase Headley, who went 4-for-4 and drove in Seth Smith with a 3rd inning single. The offense is still not carrying (and is barely hitting) its weight. But, if the pitching staff is going to keep do what it's doing, they won't need to score many runs.
