Fernando Tatis Jr. is the engine driving the Padres, baseball's hottest team, into NLDS showdown vs. Brewers — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Fernando Tatis Jr. went from hitting .233/.310/.276 with zero home runs through May 16 to launching 25 homers over his final 104 games, finishing with a .309/.376/.538 line, 28 stolen bases and 81 runs scored over his last 115 regular-season contests.
- The San Diego Padres went 43-18 after a July 23 loss that left them 50-53 and four games out of the third wild card — a 114-win pace that included a 2-0 Wild Card Series sweep of the Cubs in which Tatis hit a leadoff homer on the series' first pitch.
- After ranking dead last in MLB in batting average (.226), on-base percentage (.302) and runs scored (379) at the All-Star break, the Padres led the majors in average (.270) and finished second in OPS (.781) after the break, averaging 5.2 runs per game.
- Milwaukee's 103-win Brewers closed the regular season winning 15 of 18 and own the best record in baseball, setting up an NLDS in which both clubs are peaking simultaneously — and both rank among the five active franchises never to win a World Series.
- Tatis has been a postseason force outside of last year's 1-for-12 Wild Card stumble against the Cubs, hitting .313 with a .701 slugging percentage, seven homers, five doubles and 18 runs across 18 career playoff games (78 plate appearances).
- Manager Craig Stammen credited Tatis's turnaround to mechanical and mental adjustments, telling MLB.com that Tatis 'feels good in the box with his swing' and is now 'freed … just to go be a baseball player.'
Why it matters: The Padres' 43-18 stretch since July 23 — equivalent to a 114-win pace — transforms them from trade-deadline sellers into legitimate NLDS threats, but they face a 103-win Milwaukee club closing on a 15-of-18 run of its own. With both teams peaking and both chasing a first World Series title, the NLDS hinges on whether Tatis sustains his .309/.376/.538 second-half form against baseball's best record.
Ask SkimNews
