The Padres\u2019 clubhouse was more hushed than it had been after any game in 2026. And there have been some bad losses.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere we are in the season,\u201d Jake Cronenworth said of the somber mood. \u201cAnd this 10-game road trip to start the second half, it\u2019s obviously not how we wanted to start.\u201d<\/p>\n
But what else could they do but talk about looking forward?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe gotta flush this as fast as possible,\u201d Cronenworth said.<\/p>\n
They play again this afternoon. And every loss at this point makes the next game more important.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s game falls short of the \u201cmust-win\u201d threshold. But, come on, the Padres have to win this series against a team that entered yesterday tied for the worst record in the major leagues.<\/p>\n
Otherwise, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller might not need to stay on this road trip. He could just head home Sunday and get the sale ready.<\/p>\n
My game story focused on how the process is no longer important. Results are what the Padres need.<\/p>\n
However, Preller is assessing whether the Padres have the ability to make a playoff push.<\/p>\n
So it was not insignificant when considering how the loss came about that an injury-depleted, highly relied-upon bullpen lost two leads. (One of those was thanks to an error.)<\/p>\n
And it should also be noted that two players the Padres need to be really good the rest of the season began the second half by going hitless in nine at-bats. Jackson Merrill was 0-for-5 and twice made outs with runners in scoring position. Manny Machado was 0-for-4 with a walk.<\/p>\n
There is no trade deadline voodoo by Preller that could make a difference if Machado and Merrill are not going to step up.<\/p>\n
And one of the worst parts of last night\u2019s result is what it meant did not happen.<\/p>\n
The Padres did not gain a game in the National League wild-card race.<\/p>\n
The Marlins lost in extra innings in a game completed just before the Padres\u2019 lead leaked away. They could have gotten to within 2\u00bd games of the No.6 seed.<\/p>\n
Instead, the Padres stayed the same number of games back and lost ground.<\/p>\n
The Cardinals moved into a tie with the Marlins for the final wild-card spot, and the Nationals leapfrogged the Padres in the standings. That means the Padres now have to get past five teams if they are going to make the playoffs.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
What they had<\/p>\n
The Padres\u2019 choices to pitch in the 10th inning were Jhony Brito, Kyle Hart, Ron Marinaccio, Yuki Matsui or Matt Waldron.<\/p>\n
Bradgley Rodriguez, Adrian Morej\u00f3n and Mason Miller had already pitched.<\/p>\n
Yes, Miller threw just 16 pitches in the ninth. But those were some high-stress pitches, and his two slowest fastballs among the final six he threw were 101.6 mph and 101.9 mph. He hit 103 twice.<\/p>\n
Matsui was a closer in Japan and is having the best of his three MLB seasons. But the Padres went with the other remaining left-hander in Hart.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was kind of a toss-up with a lot of the guys down there,\u201d Stammen said. \u201cWe feel good about all of them. We chose Kyle. We felt like the matchups were in his favor, left-on-left on a few of them. I don\u2019t want to say we were right, because they got hits. But they didn\u2019t hit the ball hard off him. It was just a lot of weak contact that found holes. That\u2019s how it goes sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were a couple broken-bat singles, a bunt single and a seeing-eye single that won it. None was harder than 73 mph off the bat.<\/p>\n
The choice of a pitcher is always viewed as the wrong one when it doesn\u2019t work out. But this is where it is prudent to understand the Padres are the ones with the data \u2014 knowing past matchups, how certain pitches play against swing types of opposing hitters, etc.<\/p>\n
Musgrove, Pivetta update<\/p>\n
Starters Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta both threw an \u201cup-down\u201d at the Padres complex in Peoria, Ariz., yesterday. That is, they threw 15-20 pitches before sitting down for a time and then threw 15-20 more to simulate pitching two innings.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey came out of it healthy and rock and rolling, so they\u2019re taking the next steps,\u201d Stammen said. \u201c\u2026 Very important step. I think the next step is probably getting closer to facing live hitters.\u201d<\/p>\n
That could happen next week, which would continue to make it at least possible they are back in August.<\/p>\n
Musgrove has not pitched since his October 2024 Tommy John surgery. The ligament repair is intact, but he has experienced issues due to a lack of cartilage in his elbow.<\/p>\n
Pivetta departed during his fourth start of the season with what the Padres have termed a flexor strain in his elbow.<\/p>\n
Pivetta is facing a deadline of sorts on Aug. 22. If he is not back by that date, which is 130 days from when he went on the injured list, it would trigger a clause in his contract that allows the Padres to void the final two years ($32 million) of his deal.<\/p>\n
Swap talk<\/p>\n
Ty France\u2019s game-tying home run in the ninth inning was his 12th homer of the season. He is averaging a home run every 17.42 at-bats, 39th in the major leagues among those with at least 200 at-bats. He is batting .318 (21-for-66) with a 1.044 OPS over his past 20 games and is batting .268 with a .830 OPS in 233 plate appearances on the season.<\/p>\n
Miguel Andujar doubled three times for the second time in four games and is batting .268 with a .744 OPS in 244 plate appearances this season. With 20 doubles, two triples and five home runs, he is averaging an extra-base every 8.56 at-bats.<\/p>\n
What all that means is those two players might be emerging as attractive trade options.<\/p>\n
What it means before then is that there is an argument Andujar and France should be batting second and third instead of Merrill and Bogaerts.<\/p>\n
Stammen has said he is batting Bogaerts third because he believes in him and the Padres need him to hit. He was 1-for-4 with a sacrifice fly last night and is batting .224 with a .645 OPS.<\/p>\n
Merrill is batting .216 with a .619 OPS.<\/p>\n
Merrill\u2019s OPS is 144th out of 150 qualifying players. Bogaerts\u2019 ranks 134th.<\/p>\n
Fermin returns<\/p>\n
Freddy Fermin has not wanted to leave a single game, let alone take time off.<\/p>\n
That doesn\u2019t mean he is not grateful the Padres have shown caution with him, as he has taken at least 10 foul tips off his mask and another ball off the side of his head this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand what they\u2019re doing,\u201d Fermin said yesterday afternoon, just before being activated off the injured list. \u201cI like to play baseball. I get emotional sometimes. But I thank the Padres for taking care of me, and hopefully I don\u2019t get more foul balls and get hit like that. \u2026 It\u2019s a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fermin got a couple new masks yesterday from representatives of the equipment manufacturer, Force3, who also fitted his catching helmet with extra padding.<\/p>\n
Fermin spent a week on the concussion IL in June. He was placed on the regular 10-day IL on July 3 with a head bruise.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though he didn\u2019t get diagnosed with a concussion, we wanted 10 more days of him not getting hit in the head,\u201d Stammen said of the decision to put him on the IL this month. \u201c\u2026 So if he gets another one, which is somewhat inevitable, hopefully it doesn\u2019t knock him out or give him another concussion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luis Campusano started behind the plate yesterday against the Royals, and Stammen has indicated Campusano will be the primary catcher as long as he continues to hit.<\/p>\n
Campusano went 0-for-2 with a walk last night and is batting .292 with a .949 OPS in 85 plate appearances (27 games). Fermin is batting .152 with a .520 OPS in 162 plate appearances (59 games).<\/p>\n
Rodolfo Dur\u00e1n, who was optioned to Triple-A yesterday, was hitting .146 with a .527 OPS in 91 plate appearances (36 games).<\/p>\n
If you missed \u2026<\/p>\n
Maybe you took the All-Star break off from reading about the Padres.<\/p>\n
So here are some stories you may have missed:<\/p>\n
I wrote Thursday (here<\/a>) about the various scenarios the Padres are running as they prepare for the trade deadline.<\/p>\n Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred offered assurance on Tuesday that the Padres\u2019 transfer of ownership will go through. I wrote about that (here<\/a>).<\/p>\n Jeff Sanders wrote (here<\/a>) about the Padres\u2019 2027 schedule, which will include three games in Las Vegas \u2014 if the season is played.<\/p>\n Sanders did a story (here<\/a>) re-ranking the Padres\u2019 top-10 prospects following last weekend\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n