Low-rent Padres get bang for the buck

It's a day before the nonwaiver trade deadline and Adrian Gonzalez is still swinging for the San Diego Padres. He's not taking his bat to Boston or New York or anywhere else.

At this point, Gonzalez was supposed to be long gone and the Padres were expected to be a pathetic excuse for a major league team.

But the Padres are not the West Coast version of the Pittsburgh Pirates. With one established star and a puny $37.8 million payroll, the Padres are making a legitimate run at the postseason.

One hundred games into the season, San Diego is 60-40 and sitting atop the National League West. Who predicted this?

''I said it in spring training, 'We're going to be right in the middle of the race come July.' I pretty much came out and said I wasn't going to get traded because of that,'' Gonzalez said Thursday after the Padres' 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Optimism is everywhere in the spring. No players predict their team will be hopelessly out of the race by July, not even players in Baltimore, Kansas City and Pittsburgh. But the optimism Gonzalez spoke of was nothing phony.

This fire burning under the Padres was lit late last season. Over the past 162 games, San Diego is 97-65. Only the New York Yankees own a better record in that span.

Still, the perception exists the Padres are a small-ball gimmick team winning with smoke and mirrors, a magic wand and a rabbit in a hat.

''We're doing it. We're coming out and winning ballgames,'' San Diego pitcher Mat Latos said. ''I don't know what else people need to see to start believing.

''I felt like this was a strong ballclub. Of course, we don't want to see Adrian go. We figured if our performance is good, he's got a good chance of staying. He's still here.''

Four months ago, oddsmakers set the bar ridiculously low for San Diego. The regular-season win total for the Padres closed at 71 at the Las Vegas Hilton sports book. Only two teams were projected to be worse. Now, only two teams -- the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays -- have won more games.

''I think there's a long ways to go,'' Padres manager Bud Black said.

The NL West is a three-horse race. San Diego's lead is 3½ games over San Francisco and seven over the Dodgers.

''I think San Diego will win the division,'' said Dave Cokin, a handicapper for jimfeist.com and an ESPN Radio host in Las Vegas. ''The Padres have arrived at the point where they think they are going to win. This is not some hot streak by a bad team.

''The Dodgers are just inconsistent. But the Giants are scary.''

San Francisco has better starting pitching than the Padres, and rookie catcher Buster Posey has boosted the offense. But the second-place team in the West could get the wild card.

San Diego still can be had at 6-1 odds to win the NL. Day to day, the Padres are fairly priced and often worth a bet. But it's doubtful they have enough firepower to win the league, even after Thursday's deal with the Orioles added aging infielder Miguel Tejada.

''The Padres are perfectly set up for 162 games,'' Cokin said. ''It's the best bullpen in baseball. But I don't like them as much in the postseason. Latos is the only power arm.''

Latos, a 6-foot-6-inch right-hander, is a rapidly rising star. The 22-year-old is 11-4 with a 2.45 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. San Diego is 14-5 in his 19 starts this season.

Latos, a minus-150 favorite against the Dodgers on Thursday, showed an overpowering fastball that hit 98 mph. He went five innings, allowed one earned run and struck out seven. Four relievers combined to allow one hit in four innings, and closer Heath Bell (5-0) got the win.

''Pitching, defense and timely hitting. There's no other real answer other than that one,'' said Gonzalez, who is batting .297 with 21 home runs to carry an anemic offense. ''I believe in what we're doing, and I think we're going to continue doing it the rest of the way.

''Once we get past this trade deadline, that's when the pennant race really starts heating up. It's great that we have space. The Giants are right behind us, but then you've got a little bit of space.''

Gonzalez is staying at first base, and that says it all. The Padres were picked to finish last in their division, but several teams would trade places with them now.

Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.