When Michael King was first sidelined by a shoulder ailment, I figured the Padres would do well just to stay afloat until his return.

The Padres didn’t sink into San Diego Bay without their ace. Nor did they tread water.

They did a James Bond parasail maneuver. Barely mussing their hair, the Padres went 36-30 (.545) in the 66 games coming into this weekend. On May 24, the day King woke up with a shoulder ailment, the Padrese were seven games above .500. They’re 13 over .500 since.

The feat of organizational agility seems now a big deal on two fronts: it helped the Padres pull away from pursuers in the wild-card race, which means a playoff berth is now theirs to lose; and, wonder of wonders, it positioned them to challenge the Dodgers for the National League West title and a possible fir

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