Padres' Trent Grisham hopes constant religion carries on versus Dodgers in NLDS

It’s a typical refrain as September turns to October and playoff-certain main leaguers changeover from standard-period to postseason mode: “You simply cannot just turn it on this time of year.”

Except if you’re Trent Grisham, who should have missed that memo.

The San Diego Padres center fielder experienced a brutal close to an terrible regular period, batting .107 with a .345 on-base-additionally-slugging percentage, just one homer and four RBIs in September and early October to cap a yr in which he strike .184 with a .626 OPS, 17 homers and 53 RBIs.

The remaining-handed-hitting Grisham struggled so significantly down the stretch that he begun only 6 situations in 15 games in advance of the Padres clinched a playoff place Oct. 3, yielding the bulk of the taking part in time in middle subject to rookie Jose Azocar. Grisham reached base only eight situations in his closing 55 plate appearances.

Then Grisham stepped onto the postseason phase less than the dazzling lights of New York Metropolis and morphed into Ken Griffey Jr., batting .500 (four for eight) with two homers and three RBIs and strolling two times to support the Padres conquer the Mets in a a few-recreation National League wild-card collection in Citi Subject.

“I do not know,” Grisham stated just after Monday afternoon’s training at Dodger Stadium in advance of Tuesday night’s NL Division Series opener from the Dodgers. “Just felt good up there. I type of felt good likely into the very last 7 days of the time, and variety of just carried it in excess of.”

Grisham attained base eight times in 12 plate appearances versus the Mets. He strike a solo homer in each individual of the initial two video games, Friday’s 7-1 Game 1 earn and Saturday’s 7-3 Sport 2 decline. He experienced two hits — an RBI solitary in the fourth inning and a solitary in a two-run eighth — in Sunday’s clinching 6- acquire.

He also produced a single of the ideal defensive performs of the collection, racing 95 toes into the ideal-middle-industry hole to make a lunging catch of Mark Canha’s drive to the wall with a runner aboard in the base of the fifth to maintain a 4- lead, a enjoy that had a capture likelihood of 25%, according to Statcast.

“I’ve under no circumstances observed that — a guy go from A to Z when the depth was ratcheted up a hundredfold,” Padres manager Bob Melvin advised the San Diego Union-Tribune right after Sunday night’s match.

“You have to actually, definitely understand how significantly character is involved in some thing like that. Beat down going into the collection and finishes up currently being generally the MVP. I have never ever observed just about anything like that.”

Grisham’s breakout functionality at the bottom of the buy will earn him a additional notable function in the ideal-of-5 series versus the Dodgers, who have a few still left-handers — Julio Urías, Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Anderson — in their rotation.

The Mets commenced three correct-handers — Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Chris Bassitt — in the wild-card spherical. Asked regardless of whether he expects Grisham to be in the lineup versus Urías in Match 1 on Tuesday night time and Kershaw in Game 2 on Wednesday night time, Melvin claimed, “I do.”

The supervisor added: “He has experienced a history of hitting lefties. Essentially, some years better. It’s just all about how the good quality of his at-bats are and what he suggests to us. Even if generation-smart his offense was down a minor, he still helps make up for it on the defensive stop and on the baserunning conclusion as very well.”

Grisham has a vocation .237 batting typical, .732 OPS, 13 homers and 46 RBIs in 325 at-bats towards still left-handers and a .217 batting average, .704 OPS, 35 homers and 119 RBIs in 959 at-bats in opposition to proper-handers.

He didn’t strike left-handers or right-handers extremely very well this time, but even when he acquired benched in September, Grisham under no circumstances felt like Melvin, in his 19th 12 months as a significant league manager and 1st with the Padres, dropped self confidence in him.

“Consistent religion,” Grisham said of the affect Melvin has had on him. “He has thought in me considering that working day one. He informed me throughout the total year when I was battling, when I was down, and he advised me [Sunday] night time immediately after successful that collection. That consistency speaks volumes to me. I really respect that.”

Melvin praised Grisham for his perseverance.

“You have to give him a whole lot of credit score for likely as a result of a really tough time, obtaining benched for a while, coming to the [wild-card] series and looking like an All-Star offensively, defensively, managing the bases,” Melvin claimed. “It will take some mettle to struggle through one thing like that and have the variety of sequence he did.”

The Padres’ Manny Machado, remaining, congratulates Trent Grisham soon after Grisham homered against the Mets in Game 2 of the Nationwide League wild-card series Saturday in New York.

(Frank Franklin II / Linked Push)

Beware of the underdog

The Dodgers had a franchise-best 111-51 report and completed 22 online games forward of the 2nd-location Padres (89-73) this period, but although the Dodgers were being playing intrasquad game titles at Chavez Ravine more than the weekend, the Padres have been constructing a head of steam in New York towards the Mets.

Which could make the Padres even more dangerous in a shorter collection, as Dodgers to start with baseman Freddie Freeman understands all as well very well.

Freeman was a star on an 88-earn Atlanta staff that experienced the worst document of 10 playoff teams prior to managing the table past Oct, beating Milwaukee in the NL Division Collection, the Dodgers in the NL Championship Collection and the Houston Astros in the World Collection.

“No a person picked us to win anything at all previous 12 months, so actually there’s no stress,” Freeman claimed of the 2021 Braves. “You just have to engage in the match. I believe when you have that mentality, you have almost nothing to reduce, and everyone just talks about the other workforce, so it’s sort of quick to go out there and just play your video game.

“I never believe any person in this home picked the Padres to beat the Mets. They’re actively playing very good baseball. They’ve been actively playing excellent baseball to get there. We know they’ve got a good deal of momentum coming off of that. We’ve bought to go out there and strike to start with.”

Wanting for redemption

The Dodgers should really be seriously favored to win Game 1 from Padres correct-hander Mike Clevinger, the No. 4 starter who went -2 with a 9.69 Era in 3 begins in opposition to the Dodgers this time, providing up 14 attained runs and 16 hits, such as 5 homers, in 13 innings.

Clevinger’s only playoff commence from the Dodgers was also distressing — he walked 3 and struck out a single in a scoreless to start with inning of a 5-1 loss in the 2020 NLDS opener. Clevinger departed because of an elbow injury, underwent Tommy John operation that November and missed the 2021 season.

“We tried to practically tape my arm together to get me out there, and it just did not past,” Clevinger reported Monday. “We understood going into it that I experienced a torn [ulnar collateral ligament]. I opted to pitch. It was practically like, ‘How can we determine out a way to pitch?’

“So it will be good to go out there with a new and nutritious arm.”