5 MLB teams that can make surprise run in season’s second half

San Diego Padres

The division rival Diamondbacks could also be worth mentioning here, but San Diego seems better positioned to grab one of the NL’s wild-card spots and challenge the Phillies and Dodgers come October. There was a lot of inconsistency during the first half for San Diego and it hasn’t been able to get significantly over .500 outside of a stretch at the end of June where the Padres won nine of 10 games. However, they gave most of that back by losing six of seven going into the All-Star break. Perhaps the biggest reason for the ups and downs has been injuries as All-Star Fernando Tatis Jr. remains sidelined, as do key members of the pitching staff including Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish.

Health could ultimately turn things around for a team featuring a potent lineup that is second in the majors in batting average behind Jurickson Profar, Luis Arraez, Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill and Jake Cronenworth. The pitching hasn’t been quite as good, but the Padres have a solid core of starters including Dylan Cease, Michael King and Matt Waldron, in addition to one of the best closers in the league, Robert Suarez. A couple of trade deadline additions could be beneficial and give the Padres what they need to make a legitimate push in October. San Diego has tough matchups to start the second half against the Orioles, Guardians and Dodgers, but a relatively soft schedule in August gives it a chance to jumpstart a playoff push.