Good morning from Seattle,

The standings and the calendar have reached the sweet spot.

We are at the point in the season where it is valid to treat each game as something bigger than just that game.

Even Mike Shildt, who manages games in April with a mind toward them mattering in September, had to acknowledge that.

“They’re all big wins at any point in the year,” he said. “They’re getting more magnified at this point in the year.”

So coming back to win 7-6 over the Mariners last night in a game the Padres at one point led by five runs was certainly big.

The victory kept the Padres a game behind the Dodgers in the National League West. And in the wild-card race, winning last night kept the Padres 3½ games ahead of the Mets and got them a game closer to the Cubs.

There is one-half of

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