Let's get the good part out of the way...

The Padres control their own destiny. They win Sunday and they are in the postseason, no matter what anyone else does. Obviously, that's what we'd all like to have happen, take care of business and let the Mets and Phillies figure out who's taking the NL East.

But, should the Padres lose, well, that's when things get tricky...

Mychael Urban has already spelled out the possibilites.

The gist is this:

The only way there can be a tiebreaker game at PETCO Park on Monday is if the Padres and Phillies end up tied for the Wild Card. If the Padres tie with the Mets or Rockies, they have to go on the road for the tiebreaker game.

If there's a three-way tie (only possible if the Padres and Rockies lose and the Mets and Phillies win), then there could be a tiebreaker game at PETCO Park on Tuesday if the Phillies lose the one-game playoff on Monday for the NL East. If the Mets lose the playoff game, they'd host the Padres for the Wild Card on Tuesday.

If there's a four-way tie (Padres lose, Rockies, Mets and Phillies win), it's hard to know for sure when or if there would be a tiebreaker game at PETCO Park. That's because after the Mets and Phillies have their playoff on Monday for the NL East crown, the structure of the three-team tournament for the NL Wild Card will depend greatly on what the Rockies decide to do. As the team with the best head-to-head record, the can opt for playing two home games (and having to win both for the Wild Card) or one road game (which would be at the winner of the Mets/Phillies vs. Padres game). Assuming the Rockies would opt for one game, then on Wednesday there would be the possiblity of a tiebreaker game at PETCO Park.

Confused? Yeah, it's a bit crazy and not what we might've expected even a week ago. But that's the great thing about baseball, you never know what might happen next.

Here's hoping the Padres win the Wild Card outright with a win over the Brewers on Sunday. Then we can focus on taking out the winner of the NL East fight.

FJ

Ok, so there's no denying that the just completed roadtrip didn't go quite the way we all would've liked. But the fact is, the Padres still hold a 1 1/2 game lead in the NL Wild Card race as they prepare to open a huge 10-game homestand tonight.

The Padres have their destiny in their own hands. Putting together a hot streak to create some room between them and the bunch of teams pursuing them would be great, but still it's better to be the one leading the pack than one of the many chasing. And if they can get to the postseason even as the wild card, anything can happen.

This weekend, Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants come to town, their first visit since Barry became the home run king. Of course, back then everyone was following the Barry and we all remember the circus atmosphere. But now it all seems to have been forgotten. There should be no distractions for the Padres, they can focus on doing what they need to do to get the job done.

The pitching matchups for the weekend are:

Friday - Barry Zito (9-12, 4.16) vs. Chris Young (9-7, 2.72)
Saturday - Matt Cain (7-14, 3.78) vs. Brett Tomko (2-11, 5.70)
Sunday - Tim Lincecum (7-4, 3.99) vs. Jake Peavy (17-6, 2.44)

Don't forget that tonight is 90's Retro Night, with the Padres sporting their pinstripe uniforms from 1997 in honor of Tony Gwynn's last batting title. You know you've still got some clothes from the 90's in your closet, so wear it to the ballpark. And break out your Padres gear from the 90's because orange is the rage again!

Here's hoping the Padres can not only expand their wild card lead this weekend, but also that Jake can solidify his Cy Young credentials.

Hope to see everyone at the ballpark.

FJ