History says the 2020 Padres will finish with a losing record, the club’s 10th in a row.
But history also provides hope.
Improved Padres bullpens have taken the franchise out of other ruts, notably in 1996, 2005 and 2010.
Those bullpens ended up first, second and first in league ERA, and fueled two West champions plus a 90-game winner.
While bullpens are famously volatile, the Padres’ crew now limbering up in Arizona seems deep and talented enough to cope with injury and downturns.
So, a sunny forecast: With a little bit of luck, the 2020 bullpen should lead the franchise to more than 77 victories, the highest total yet in the seven-season tenure of the Peter Seidler-Ron Fowler ownership group.