Dynamic duo<\/p>\n
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his first home run of the season on May 30.<\/p>\n
Jackson Merrill was batting .198 on June 8.<\/p>\n
Earlier this week, Tatis hit his 20th home run to make him and Merrill the only Padres teammates to ever have at least 20 home runs and at least 20 steals in the same season.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, Merrill hit his 25th home run, making him one of four Padres players ever to have at least 25 home runs and at least 25 steals in the same season.<\/p>\n
Tatis has reached the 25\/25 threshold three times and, after homering yesterday is four home runs from doing it a fourth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are offensive numbers, the steals and the home runs,\u201d Padres manager Craig Stammen said. \u201cBut power-speed combo, that\u2019s a rare trait, and we got a couple guys that can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
It can certainly be a focus for the offseason and beyond that Merrill and Tatis need to find their consistent excellence closer to April. But yesterday provided occasion to reflect on just how remarkable it is that they are putting up the numbers they are.<\/p>\n
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Tatis welcomed the newest member of the 25\/25 club with a sentiment that summed up what they both have done the past few months.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has that type of talent,\u201d Tatis said. \u201cHe\u2019s that type of player, and you know, also the adjustments that he has made this year to play this season (and get) better toward the end, it\u2019s really impressive. So, just happy for him and glad it\u2019s paying off for both of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Second-half trio<\/p>\n
What Merrill and Tatis have done since the All-Star break is part of something that might end up being unprecedented.<\/p>\n
Merrill and Tatis have a chance, along with Ty France, to become the first trio in Padres history to all have an OPS<\/a> of at least .900 after the All-Star break (minimum 200 plate appearances).<\/p>\n Tatis came out of yesterday with a .996 OPS in 50 games since the break. Merrill has a .933 OPS in 51 games. France is at .937 through 50 games.<\/p>\n There have been just two instances of even two Padres having an OPS that high after the break \u2014 Randy Ready and Tony Gwynn in 1987 and Ryan Klesko and Mark Loretta in 2004.<\/p>\n With 14 games remaining, Tatis (16) and Merrill (15) are already just the fourth Padres duo to ever have at least 15 home runs in the second half. The previous tandems were Fred McGriff and Gary Sheffield in 1992, Ken Camiuniti and Greg Vaughn in 1998 and Manny Machado and Juan Soto in 2023.<\/p>\n M&M machine<\/p>\n My game story focused quite a bit on how the Padres, despite their seven runs and the seven innings from Michael King, had to once again rely on the Mason Miller and Adrian Morej\u00f3n machine.<\/p>\n A four-run lead at the start of the eighth inning had the Padres thinking they might get to the end without using their closer and setup man.<\/p>\n Didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got to use them when you\u2019ve got to use them,\u201d Stammen said. \u201cAnd we had to use them today.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s the story of their season.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m ready every day,\u201d Morej\u00f3n said. \u201cDoesn\u2019t matter the situation. In the fifth (inning) every time, doesn\u2019t matter the score, I\u2019m moving around.\u201d<\/p>\n Said Miller: \u201cAlways locked in. It\u2019s not like a slight to anybody, but you\u2019re always staying prepared because you never know what can happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Yesterday, it was the Giants scoring three runs in the eighth inning against Bradgley Rodriguez that forced Morej\u00f3n into the game to get three outs. And Miller followed with three more in the ninth.<\/p>\n Morej\u00f3n\u2019s volume of work, in particular, is stunningly high.<\/p>\n Yesterday was his 70th game, and he reached 80\u2154 innings for the season.<\/p>\n The Brewers\u2019 Aaron Ashby (81\u2153 innings, 70 appearances) is the only one doing what Morej\u00f3n is, pitching so often and getting so many outs. And Ashby is not facing the heart of the order in the eighth inning while throwing 100 mph-plus almost every outing.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not concerned about it because of the work that I know he puts in behind the scenes,\u201d Stammen said. \u201cBut it is an amazing season that he\u2019s having right now. We\u2019re able to count on him in any situation. He\u2019s able to deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n Miller yesterday tied last year\u2019s career high by making his 60th appearance. He is 1\u2154 innings from matching his career high in innings, which is 65 set in 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cUntil it\u2019s a concern, it\u2019s not a concern,\u201d Miller said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to keep preparing and keep doing everything we need in the (trainers room) to be ready for tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n Something to watch<\/p>\n Rodriguez threw two four-seam fastballs and two sinkers yesterday, none of them faster than 96.9 mph. It was the first time in 70 career appearances that he did not throw at least one pitch harder above 97 mph.<\/p>\n A drop in velocity sometimes happens to relievers. And then they rebound.<\/p>\n But it is worth noting that the 22-year-old Rodriguez has pitched 66\u2153 innings in 63 appearances in his first full season in the major leagues.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a part of this is his first season where he\u2019s pitching into September and hopefully October,\u201d Stammen said. \u201cThere\u2019s going to be bumps along the way. It\u2019s not always going to be smooth. He\u2019s had such an amazing season thus far. We expect him to not have any hiccups. And there\u2019s just going to be hiccups along the way, no matter how good you are. And there\u2019s days you have it, and there\u2019s days that the hitters just have you. That\u2019s part of being a relief pitcher. So he\u2019s a strong-minded kid. He\u2019s going to bounce back, and he\u2019ll be just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Rodriguez threw 18 pitches in a scoreless inning Friday night and was pitching yesterday for the fifth time in nine days.<\/p>\n After reaching 100 mph and throwing every one of his seven fastballs at least 98.1 mph, Rodriguez said on Friday night, \u201cI feel great. \u2026 Honestly, I feel fresh. I feel like it\u2019s the start of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n King of quality<\/p>\n Two pitches kept King from possibly being on the verge of a team-record scoreless streak.<\/p>\n \u201cA couple hangers,\u201d King said.<\/p>\n He was referring to the sweeper he left just high enough for Devers to get a two-run homer over the tall right field wall in the first inning and the sweeper he left in the heart of the strike zone for Shay Whitcomb to hit over the center field wall in the second inning.<\/p>\n \u201cI hate Devers,\u201d King said.<\/p>\n It was a respectful loathing for the Giants slugger, who has 13 home runs in his past 25 games.<\/p>\n King lamented that his breaking ball was in just about the same place as the curveball Devers hit for a grand slam off Robbie Ray on Friday.<\/p>\n The pitch was about mid-shin but over the center of the plate.<\/p>\n \u201cYou saw what he did to Robbie\u2019s (pitch) yesterday,\u201d King said. \u201cSupposed to be a backdoor breaking ball, pulled down under, which I know is still a hot zone for him. So yeah, two missed pitches there that hurt. But I settled in.\u201d<\/p>\n King sure did. He retired the next 14 batters he faced before allowing two singles in the seventh inning.<\/p>\n The Devers home run ended a streak of 21\u2154 scoreless innings by King, the 13th longest stretch by a starting pitcher in franchise history and 8\u2153 innings shy of Randy Jones\u2019 record set in 1980.<\/p>\n The three runs King allowed in his seven innings gave him his 17th quality start of the season, which is half of the Padres\u2019 total. It was his seventh consecutive quality start, making him just the fourth Padres pitcher since 2015 to have that many in a row, joining Yu Darvish (nine in 2022), Joe Musgrove (12 in \u201822 and nine in \u201823), Blake Snell (nine in \u201823).<\/p>\n King\u2019s ERA rose three hundredths of a point to 3.03, as he made his 30th start and reached a career-high 175 innings.<\/p>\n That is the same number of starts King made in 2024, his first year with the Padres and first season as a full-time starter. It is twice as many starts as he made in an injury-interrupted 2025 when he threw just 73\u2153 innings.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t even know those numbers,\u201d King said of his innings total and number of starts this season. \u201cJust sticking to the routine, staying out there. I know we went through a stretch there where we really didn\u2019t even have starting pitching, so just happy to provide as many innings as possible and now really lock it in for the last stretch.\u201d<\/p>\n King almost certainly has three starts remaining.<\/p>\n Unless they can wrap up a playoff spot before then, it is virtually certain the Padres will swap start days for Ray and King next week so that King starts the series opener against the Dodgers and is available to start the season finale against the Diamondbacks.<\/p>\n New 2<\/p>\n The Padres may have found their No.2 hitter, at least for the time being.<\/p>\n Dustin Harris yesterday became the 11th player to bat second for the Padres.<\/p>\n He continued to be productive, going 1-for-4 with a sacrifice fly. So he will likely continue to be slotted between Tatis and Machado in the lineup for now.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been thinking about it for a while, and we\u2019ve been trying to find what guy might fit,\u201d Stammen said. \u201cWe\u2019ve tried a few options here lately, and he was another option to try. And sometimes they tell you who should hit second. And today he had such a great game, I think you might be seeing him there the next couple days.\u201d<\/p>\n The Padres are getting a .651 OPS from the No.2 spot, lowest in the major leagues.<\/p>\n Harris is batting .342 (12-for-35) since being called up on Aug. 24.<\/p>\n His two-out single in yesterday\u2019s second inning drove in two runs and tied the game 2-2. His sacrifice fly in the fourth inning brought in another run.<\/p>\n Harris maintained that nothing changed with the text from Stammen on Friday night telling him where he\u2019d be batting.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought maybe I\u2019d get better pitches to hit just being in front of Manny, knowing they\u2019d rather face me than Machado,\u201d Harris said. \u201c\u2026 But I didn\u2019t think too much about it. Just tried to go compete and get the next guy the at-bat.\u201d<\/p>\n Opportunistic<\/p>\n It sort of looked like a safety squeeze. Except it was not.<\/p>\n There were two outs, and Jake Cronenworth bunted on his own in the fifth inning.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re gonna give me a hit, especially with a guy on third base,\u201d Cronenworth said.<\/p>\n The man on third was Austin Hays, and he and third base coach Bob Henley had noticed Whitcomb, the Giants\u2019 third baseman, playing back.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were just saying he\u2019s playing over right here, but he\u2019s not playing in, so there\u2019s a chance he lays one down here,\u201d Hays recalled. \u201c(Henley said), \u2018Just read it down and go.\u2019 So I was kind of expecting it in a way, just trying to be ready for it. And sure enough, I saw him square. So as soon as I saw it with a down angle, I was gonna go.\u201d<\/p>\n lemme just squeeze right past ya pic.twitter.com\/4QF4HvNtiA<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/rotationE_bad7fd.png\")
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