San Diego Padres

"The reason this is the best run I've ever been on is the quality of the pitchers and teams we've beaten," said Klesko of the Padres winning eight in a row and 17 of 20 games entering Saturday night's Interleague game with the Mariners at Safeco Field. "To do what we've done in places like St. Louis, it's good for our confidence. We can come back any time; we've shown that."

Among the premier arms the Padres have encountered recently are the Braves' John Smoltz, the Cardinals' Matt Morris and Chris Carpenter and the Marlins' Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett and Al Leiter. The Padres are 9-1 in May against the Braves, Marlins and Cardinals, teams with World Series aspirations and capabilities.

Improving team-wide discipline at the plate, fueled largely by Klesko and Brian Giles, has helped the Padres get to teams' bullpens in the late innings -- and that's where they've been most dangerous.

From the seventh inning on, the Friars have outscored the opposition by an 89-32 margin, testimony to their ability to produce under pressure and the quality of a deep, balanced bullpen. Those 82 runs are the most in the Major Leagues from the seventh inning on.

"We've got a lot of veteran guys who've been the nucleus here for a couple of years, along with a couple of new guys," said Klesko, a Padre since 2000. "We've got a lot of smart hitters. We have a great bullpen, and our starting pitchers have been going seven, eight innings. We've played good defense. The bench has been great. And everybody's contributing.

"With a lot of teams that go on streaks, the big boys are carrying them. It's not just one player here. It's everybody doing the job. That's what makes it so good."

Finally free of inhibiting shoulder problems after having the AC joint in the right shoulder repaired 20 months ago, Klesko has been taking the vicious rips that characterized him as a young Braves slugger.

Batting .276 entering Saturday's game, he's the club leader with nine homers and has delivered 23 RBIs. His .537 slugging average is the best among Padres regulars, and his .390 on-base average is surpassed only by Giles' .418.

Back pain has surfaced periodically, but Klesko said his regimen of abdominal stretching has helped calm it down. He said the back sometimes bothers him in the field and on the bases, but not swinging the bat.

"I feel good," Klesko said. "I knew it would take some time with the shoulder. It started getting better in the second half last season, and now I'm driving through with my front shoulder again."

Klesko, Giles and Phil Nevin have moved around in the 3-4-5 holes, interchangeable parts, depending on who's hot and who the other side has on the mound. Manager Bruce Bochy has been pushing all the right buttons, and the three big boppers claim they don't care where they're placed in the order.

*A-plus in chemistry:* "I think this team definitely has great chemistry, or whatever you want to call it," said Padres reliever Scott Linebrink. "We play well on the field because we enjoy being around each other. It's a six-month season. Everybody in here has done a lot. But you've gotta check your egos at the door. We're all about the team."

Andy Ashby, recovering from Tommy John surgery with the desire to return to the mound and help the Padres in the second half, compares these Padres to the playoff teams he started for in 1996 and '98 in terms of attitude.

"You sit back and watch the team chemistry from top to bottom," Ashby said. "Everyone in the clubhouse has one goal: to win. They don't ever lay down. You build character from the start of the season and it carries on through.

"I don't think there are any egos in here. It's a great group of guys, very team-oriented. You want to be as one. A lot of guys have been playing on this team a long time and have never experienced the playoffs. There are years when it's not much fun. To be on a team like this in the big leagues, it's special. You want to be able to look back and say we won a championship as a team."

*Working overtime:* Interleague Play keeps coaching staffs up nights going over video, compiling notes, plotting how best to combat an unfamiliar opponent.

"Nobody's complaining, but there is a lot involved in preparing for these American League teams," said Padres third-base coach Rob Picciolo. "Seattle is our rival; we see that team a lot in Spring Training. But this year we have Detroit, Cleveland, Minnesota, the White Sox. Those are teams we haven't seen much of, so more homework is involved. Boch delegates authority to each of the coaches.

"I work with Tony [Muser] in positioning infielders, anticipating guys who hit-and-run, bunt, move runners over. Davey [Lopes] positions the outfielders. I've kept pretty comprehensive charts on all hitters, and Tony has a library of his own. There's a lot of work involved, but we enjoy what we do. And it helps when you're playing the way these guys have been playing."

*On deck: *Rookie right-hander Tim Stauffer (1-0, 3.46 ERA) takes the mound for the Padres on Sunday against Mariners right-hander Aaron Sele (2-4, 5.62 ERA).