BUEHLER, BUEHLER, BUEHLER….

Did we call Casey Mize an exploding oxen tank?

Yes.

Did we say Jackson Merrill looked like he would swing at anything up to 100 feet above the strike zone?

Yes.

Did we say Manny Machado batting around .100 wasn’t acceptable and that he needed to step it up?

Yep.

Did we say the Padres bullpen was drawing cards before every game to see who got to blow it?

We did.

Sometimes some tough talk is needed.

And since we made those callouts, the Padres have stepped up big time, gone on an eight-game winning streak and put it right back in our face.

And we love it.

That’s sports.

If somebody is playing terrible, we’re going to say they’re playing terrible. If they turn around and start playing great, we’re going to say they’re playing great.

And right now, the Padres are playing great.

EIGHT STRAIGHT

The Padres beat Colorado 8-7 last night for their eighth consecutive win and improved to 82-68.

Eight.

Straight.

A little over a week ago, San Diego was fighting just to stay in the Wild Card picture.

Now?

They’re not just hanging around anymore.

They’re coming.

And some of the guys we called out are leading the charge.

Jackson Merrill was just named National League Player of the Week after hitting .429 with three home runs and 12 RBIs over seven games.

Apparently he stopped swinging at pitches 100 feet above the strike zone.

Good adjustment.

Merrill had three more hits last night against Colorado.

Manny Machado?

He’s answering too.

Machado hit his 28th home run of the season last night and helped the Padres jump out early.

And Casey Mize, our previously designated exploding oxen tank?

Five innings.

Two runs.

Win.

We would officially like to congratulate the oxen tank on no longer exploding.

For now.

ABOUT THAT BULLPEN…

Okay, we can’t completely retire all of our previous criticism.

The Padres went up 6-1 last night.

They won 8-7.

So apparently somebody found the deck of cards again.

The bullpen made things considerably more interesting than they needed to be, but Mason Miller came in for the ninth and shut the door for his 37th save.

So we’ll call this progress.

Eight straight wins means you don’t have to apologize for how pretty they were.

THE WILD CARD RACE JUST GOT VERY INTERESTING

This is why baseball down the stretch is so great.

The Padres are now 82-68 and hold a 2.5-game lead over Arizona for the final National League Wild Card spot.

But forget just hanging onto the last spot.

San Diego is now only one game behind Philadelphia and 1.5 games behind Chicago for the higher Wild Card positions.

That seemed almost out of the question a week ago.

Now it’s sitting right there.

And home-field positioning in the Wild Card round suddenly isn’t some ridiculous fantasy either.

That’s what an eight-game winning streak in September can do.

I WANT A PLAYOFF GAME IN SAN DIEGO

The Giants are my team.

I grew up in the Bay Area as a Giants fan, and they’re always going to be my Giants.

But I live in San Diego now, and I’d really like to go to a playoff game.

Unfortunately, my Giants aren’t going to be supplying one this year.

They lost 2-1 to St. Louis last night, fell to 62-89, and this season is basically over.

So Padres, I’m looking at you.

If you’ve never been to an MLB playoff game, you need to go to one.

Baseball changes in the playoffs.

Every pitch matters.

Every at-bat feels enormous.

A 2-1 count in the fourth inning somehow becomes nerve-racking.

A runner getting to second base feels like a national emergency.

It’s great.

Petco Park in October would be a blast.

So keep this thing going.

CAN THEY MAKE IT NINE?

The Padres get Colorado again tonight at Coors Field.

Walker Buehler is scheduled to start for San Diego. Colorado’s starter is listed as TBD.

The Rockies have now lost eight straight.

The Padres have won eight straight.

Something has to give.

And Buehler has a chance to keep this thing rolling and make it nine.

Will he show up?

Will the Padres offense keep pounding the baseball?

Will the bullpen allow us to watch the ninth inning without needing medical supervision?

We’ll find out tonight.

Buehler…

Buehler…

Buehler…

If it’s sports and it’s Jacked Up, we cover it.