San Diego Padres manager Bud Black, driving down the freeway Wednesday to Petco Park, could finally exhale.
No longer is there a need to call San Diego Zoo authorities.
The 600-pound gorilla sitting atop the Padres' shoulders during a 10-game losing streak is finally gone. Just in time for a crucial four-game series beginning Thursday vs. the San Francisco Giants.
"Just getting that first win (Monday) took quite a bit of weight off a number of our guys," Black said. "The confidence is back. It's not that it was waning, but there was a feeling that permeates when you think you're going to win."
The Padres, who entered Wednesday with back-to-back wins and a one-game lead on the Giants in the National League West, had 25 games remaining to complete a rags-to-riches story.If they're going to win the division, they'll have to hold off the Giants.
The teams have seven games remaining against one another, concluding the regular season with a three-game weekend series.
The Padres have won nine of 11 games against the Giants, who have the best record in the NL since July 5 and sliced 5½ games off their deficit during the Padres' slide.
The Giants are gaining confidence, manager Bruce Bochy says, particularly after he sharply scolded the starting rotation almost two weeks ago. The starters listened and certainly responded.
Since Bochy's admonition, the Giants were 7-2 entering Wednesday. The starters had suffered one loss in that stretch, lasting at least six innings in all but one game with a 2.54 ERA.
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