Not everything in life is pretty. For every Mona Lisa, there is a freeway underpass with a cowboy sitting on a horse in spray paint. I can’t argue the aesthetics with anyone with even a basic understanding of art, but I know I prefer to look at a plate of sushi more than a pulled-pork sandwich. But, in the end, they both get the job done. The unsung hero of the Padres rotation this year doesn’t ever make it look pretty. In fact, I dare say I groan if he’s starting when I go to a game. But, he’s as big a reason for the team’s success as Mat Latos.

First, I should clarify. Garland winning games and posting a near-3 ERA is pretty. Duh. The ugly part comes in when you watch him pitch, when he writes a chapter in his memoir in between pitches. Then, the dude nibbles like a trout. He’s the anti-Maddux, in that he’ll throw 4 pitches just to get the batter to go after his pitch, which is fine for the team, but rough on us viewers. But, let’s not mess with success, right? After all, where would this team be without Garland anchoring the staff?

So, what is he doing right? First, I realize he doesn’t settle in for the first 3 innings. TV commentators have been talking about that a lot. Personally, I don’t think that’s really it. I mean, that’s part of it, but there are bigger issues, as well.

1) Defense. Garland is a groundball pitcher. He doesn’t feature a hard sinker, per se. But most of his pitches have downward movement (like his 2-seam, slider and change-up). Because of this, he will give up a large number of balls put in play. Those need to be turned into outs, and this year, they have been. This is part of the reason folks were worried about Miguel Tejada’s range at shortstop, but so far, no major issues.

2) Clutch. Garland works himself into trouble, sure. But this stat is ridiculous: When there is at least one runner in scoring position, Garland is allowing opponents only a .198 BA, with only 4 extra base hits allowed in 114 at-bats. That’s just crazy. So think for a second, if I give the other team 28 at-bats against Garland, odds are only one of those 28 is guaranteed an RBI.   That is called making pitches when you have to.

3) Eating innings. Yes, he’s done this his whole career, but this year has been remarkable. In his 26 starts, he’s gone 6 innings or more in all but 7. That’s nearly 3:1. Awesome.

Yes, it’s rarely pretty. But Garland gets the job done. Just don’t expect to go out with your wife after a Padres game when Garland is starting. Trust me, I speak from experience