Craig Stammen’s importance to the Padres — their present and future — figures to grow in the season’s second half.
The 35-year-old right-hander, who pitches in more crucial situations than any reliever in the major leagues, will be pitching at least for a while in even more of those moments.
“They matter all the time,” Stammen said of the difference between his appearances this season and the two previous ones in which he was a pitcher for the Padres. “They matter within the context of making the playoffs. Not that we weren’t trying to make the playoffs last year.