The Padres' first half

Here we are, juuuust past the midpoint of the season.

In the last ten games, the top three teams in the division have slipped into mediocrity by going 4-6. The Giants have plummeted to 4th place by going 2-8. The sleeping giants, the Dodgers, have awoken. They were 9.5 games back from the division leader on June 21st and have rallied and ridden Yasiel Puig's coattails to go 8-2 and are now only 4 back.

This is the closest division race in baseball and probably the worst bunch of teams. One wonders how many wins it will take to clinch the division. Could it be in the low 80's again like in 2005 when the Padres won with 82 wins? The first half records says, "yes, most definitely".

The Padres have cooled off considerably in the last 2 weeks. Losing to the Miami Marlins yesterday on a walk-off grand slam could be a season low point. It's hard to know what to expect from this team on a day to day basis, especially with most of the infield on the disabled list.

Things haven't turned out as expected so far. Pre-season hopes of Chase Headley carrying the team and receiving a huge contract extension haven't panned out. Worries about Andrew Cashner not having what it takes to be a starting pitcher have been for naught. Petco Park and its shrunken outfield seem to be giving the Padres a home field advantage. The team is 25-18 at home and 15-24 on the road. And still, after a 5-15 start the team is shockingly in the midst of a pennant race and poised to confuse us some more.

In franchise history 15 teams out of 45 have had a winning record after 81 games. The 2013 team isn't one of them, but they're close.

Let's compare the first 81 games to those Padres teams of yesteryear.

First 81 games by Winning %