Padres Week in Review: Sizzling Streak Has San Diego On Precipice Of Postseason

[Steve Drumwright]

San Diego Padres Weekly Snapshot

Record last week: 6-1

Runs scored last week: 51

Runs allowed last week: 32 (season run differential: plus-41)

Scores

• Game 150 (Monday): Padres 8, Rockies 7
• Game 151 (Tuesday): Rockies 9, Padres 3
• Game 152 (Wednesday): Padres 9, Rockies 3
• Game 153 (Thursday): Padres 9, Rockies 2
• Game 154 (Friday): Padres 8, Marlins 2
• Game 155 (Saturday): Padres 7, Marlins 6 (10)
• Game 156 (Sunday): Padres 7, Marlins 3

Week in Review and Highlights

Rockies series

Game 1: A game that felt like it was under control until it wasn't—it was Coors Field, after all—came out the way they needed it to. Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. homered, right-handed starter Casey Mize turned in five solid innings and Mason Miller was needed to close out a game the Padres led 6-1 early, pulling out an 8-7 victory. Ty France, who returned from the paternity list after the birth of twin daughters, and Jackson Merrill each had three hits as the Padres won their eighth straight. The Friars remained 2½ games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the battle for the No. 3 NL wild card. It was nearly 3½ if not for a D'backs walk-off victory over the Miami Marlins. The victory, their 82nd this year, also assured the Padres of a club-record fifth straight winning record.

Machado set the tone with his solo homer in the top of the first, his 28th of the season and 397th of his career. It jumped to 5-1 in the second as Jake Cronenworth and Freddy Fermin drove in runs, then Tatis hit a 449-foot rocket for his 22nd homer of the season. Merrill made it 6-1 with an RBI single in the third. Mize made it through five innings, scattering eight hits and allowing two runs, also beginning a weird stat line for Padres pitchers by not striking anyone out. That trend would last until the ninth, when Miller punched out a pair. Things took a turn for the Padres when left-hander Kyle Hart coughed up three runs while getting just one out in the sixth, then right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez allowed a solo homer in 1⅔ innings. Left-hander Adrian Morejon, who had appeared in seven of the previous nine games, gave up a run in the eighth as the Padres' lead was trimmed to 8-7.

While the Padres added on later, they could have done more, which is tough to say when they scored eight runs. France lined an opposite-field single to right to bring in put the Padres up 7-5, while the unheralded Dustin Harris laced an RBI double that hopped off the wall in right for an 8-6 lead in the eighth. After Morejon gave up the run, Miller, pitching for the sixth time in 10 games, nailed down his 37th save, allowing a one-out single. The final out came on a nice play by Machado, ranged way to his left to field a chopper and fired a bullet to first to just get the out.

Game 2: When it comes to losses at this stage of a playoff race, timing is the key thing. If you are going to lose, you hope the teams you are leading or pursuing lose, too. With the Padres watching their eight-game winning streak come to an end with a 9-3 loss to the Rockies, they didn't gain or lose ground as all three teams still in the NL wild-card race lost, most notably the D'backs, who dropped a 4-2 decision to the Marlins in 11 innings. So the Friars remain 2½ games ahead of the D'backs for the No. 3 NL wild card, one game behind the Phillies for the No. 2 spot and 1½ behind the Cubs for the No. 1 position, which comes with home-field advantage for the Wild Card Series.

This game turned in the sixth inning in which the Padres had a 3-2 lead entering and a 7-3 deficit exiting. Right-handed starter Walker Buehler had battled through 4⅔ innings, throwing 92 pitches. Left-hander Wandy Peralta took over and got the final out of the fifth, but couldn't get through the sixth. Peralta gave up a triple, a double and a single to the first three hitters that brought in two runs. After a strikeout, another single led to Perlata being replaced by right-hander Randy Vasquez. A flyout to right set the stage to get out of the inning. But Vasquez, in his third relief appearance since being removed from the rotation, lost a 13-pitch battle with former San Diego State star Cole Carrigg, who drilled a three-run homer to put the Padres down 7-3. Vasquez would give up another pair of runs in the seventh and finished the eighth.

Offensively, it wasn't a great night despite getting 11 hits. Tatis opened the game with a second-pitch homer, a 455-foot blast to left for his 23rd of the season. Luis Campusano went deep for the eighth time this year in the second inning and Austin Hays also homered, his second with the Padres and third of the season, in the fifth. All came against Rockies right-hander Kyle Freeland, who just came off his third stint on the injured list this season and entered the game with a 6.37 ERA. This was his first start in nearly a month and kept the Padres off the board other than the three solo homers. Right-hander Ryan Feltner, typically a starter, piggybacked Freeland and, with his 5.88 ERA coming into the game, held the Friars scoreless for the final five innings. Missed opportunity to gain ground? Sure. But also they didn't lose any ground, only their second eight-game winning streak of the season.

Game 3: The Ethan Salas game. Sure, it was against the NL-worst Rockies and it happened at Coors Field. But the 20-year-old catcher, who entered the game with one hit in 15 plate appearances, cranked out two homers and accounted for three RBIs in the Padres' 9-3 victory. With the D'backs dropping their second straight, the Padres increased their lead over Arizona to 3½ games with 10 games left to play for the final NL wild card, while remaining one behind the Phillies and 1½ behind the Cubs for the top two wild-card positions. The biggest advantage the Friars have over the D'backs is they are four up in the loss column.

While the postseason scenario is of the utmost importance, the attention deservedly belongs on Salas in this game. He went deep for the first time in his 2½-week career when he ambushed a first-pitch 93.2 mph four-seamer from right-hander Mason Adams and drilled 426 feet out to center for a 3-1 Padres lead. Salas then helped trigger a four-run fifth inning when he launched a 96.2 mph fastball on an 0-1 count from right-hander Nick Frasso the snuck over the right-field wall, a 372-foot shot. That was a two-run shot that made it 8-1. At 20 years, 107 days, Salas is the youngest catcher in MLB history to hit two homers in a game and the youngest Padre in history to do so. The big game can only boost the confidence of Salas as he continues to get his feet wet in the majors, but also with the postseason approaching.

Padres left-handed starter Robbie Ray turned in a typical Robbie Ray performance, which was encouraging with one start and possibly two left in the regular season. Ray went six innings, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts. He did give up a sixth-inning solo homer. There was offense that came from sources other than Salas. Merrill continued his hot hitting with three singles, France doubled and drove in a pair of runs, Harris had two hits, including a triple, while driving in a run and scoring another and Samad Taylor had two singles, two RBIs and two runs scored. The margin of victory also allowed Morejon and Miller to rest for a second straight day.

Game 4: Completing a seven-game road trip against teams they should beat, the Padres erupted for seven runs in the second innings, including a homer and triple by Bogaerts, to dispatch the Rockies 9-2. That gave the Padres three out of four in the series and a 6-1 road trip. It also gave the Friars, winners of 10 of their last 11, a comfortable four-game lead over the D'backs for the last NL wild-card berth and within one game of the Cubs and Phillies for the top two spots. The Padres' magic number for clinching is at six.

While the offense was again a big star, let's not overlook what the pitching did. Right-handed starter Michael King continued his impressive second half with his eighth straight quality start and 18th of the season, spinning six innings and allowing just two runs, while scattering seven hits and two walks with six strikeouts. With the offense piling up runs behind him for one of the rare occasions, Matsui pitched a perfect seventh, striking out two, and right-hander Griffin Canning made his first appearance since Sept. 9, allowing two runs in two scoreless innings.

Bogaerts came up a single shy of the cycle despite having two chances to get the fourth one in Padres history and the first in his career. It also would have been a reverse cycle as Bogaerts started his day by leading off the second inning with a homer, his 12th of the season, then capped the seven-run outburst with a two-run triple. Merrill also tripled in the second. Harris had three hits, three RBIs and a run scored, while France had three hits, Taylor had two hits, a walk, an RBI and two runs scored and Cronenworth two hits and two runs scored.

Marlins series

Game 1: Another day of big offensive production and another nice step forward by right-handed starter Nick Pivetta put the Padres in a position you couldn't have fathomed a little more than two months ago. With France using his newfound dad strength after the birth of twins last week to power a six-run fifth inning, the Padres stomped the Marlins 8-2 to create a three-way tie atop the NL wild-card standings. Their third straight win and 11th in 12 games have pulled the Friars even with the Cubs and Phillies with eight games remaining. The only bad news in that scenario is the Padres lose the tiebreaker to both as a result of losing the season series to each. That still would leave them in the No. 3 NL wild-card spot, which they now lead the D'back by five games after Arizona lost, reducing the Padres' magic number to four.

That is certainly enough to be excited about. But Pivetta's performance is also worth praise. In his third start—and next-to-last before the postseason—since coming back from his right elbow injury sidelined him for five months, Pivetta looked sharper, allowing four hits and a solo homer over five innings, walking one and striking out four. That is the type of outing that you would take in the postseason. It was a day to mostly rest the three key arms in the bullpen. Morejon made an appearance to face a left-handed batter in the seventh inning and he struck him out. Otherwise, Peralta, right-hander David Morgan and Canning did the job out of the bullpen.

Down 1-0, the Friars would score all the runs they would need in the fifth. Bogaerts had a leadoff double, Cronenworth singled and, after a pitching change, Taylor's safety squeeze ended up a base hit to load the bases. After Salas flew out to shallow center, Tatis singled home the first run and Harris had a go-ahead two-run single that caromed off the mound and bounced into center. Machado lined out, then France smashed his 21st homer, a three-run shot, into the second deck of the Western Metal Supply Co. building. That homer established a new career high for France. Merrill tacked on his 26th homer of the year, a solo shot, in a two-run eighth.

Game 2: The kid rescued the closer. An inning after Miller gave up a stunning game-tying homer, Salas added another first to his scrapbook by grounding a single up the middle with one out in the bottom of the 10th, giving the Padres a thrilling 7-6 victory over the Marlins. With the Phillies losing and the Cubs winning, the Padres took possession of the No. 2 wild-card spot, one game ahead of Philadelphia. The Padres and Cubs are tied, but Chicago won the season series. The D'backs are four games behind the Phillies after walking off the New York Yankees.

It was a strange game from the start. Mize didn't have command of his pitches, walking five and allowing five hits en route to five runs over three innings. But the bullpen settled things down, with Vasquez, Rodriguez and Matsui keeping the Marlins quiet. Morejon came in to get the final out of the seventh to get out of a first-and-third jam, protecting a 6-5 lead. He came back out for the eighth and struck out the first batter before a walk, two stolen bases and another walk put runners on the corners. Manager Craig Stammen went to his closer for a five-out save. Miller struck out the two batters in the eighth on nine pitches. In the ninth, Miller struck out the leadoff hitter on six pitches, then faced pinch-hitter Griffin Conine. The left-handed hitter took a slider for a first-pitch ball, then turned on a 102.1 mph four-seamer that was poorly located and drilled it into the right-field bleachers. Tie game, third blown save for Miller in 40 chances. It was the third homer given up by Miller this season, all in his nine appearances since Aug. 25.

With Mize's rough start, the Padres faced 3-0 and 5-1 deficits in the early going. A three-run bottom of the third featured a bases-loaded walk to Cronenworth, a balk and Taylor's sacrifice fly. Tatis' second-half power surge continued as he blasted No. 24 in the fourth inning to tie the game 5-5, then Harris and France and sixth-inning doubles to take the lead. The 10th inning began with Cronenworth as the zombie runner and he took third on a wild pitch. Sung-Mun Song struck out to begin the frame, then Stammen put the 20-year-old Salas in to pinch-hit for Fermin. After getting into an 0-2 hole against right-hander Josh Ekness, Salas grounded a 98.7 mph four-seamer up the middle with the infield drawn in for his first walk-off of his 19-day-old MLB career. Salas is the fourth-youngest player to have a pinch-hit walk-off hit since RBIs became a stat in 1920.

Game 3: Beware of the Crone Zone. On a day in which there was no movement among the current three NL wild-card teams, Cronenworth sparked the offense with two homers and five RBIs and Buehler carried a one-hit shutout into the seventh inning in a 7-3 victory over the Marlins, their 13th win in 14 games. In completing a three-game sweep and the six-game season series over the Marlins, the Padres reduced their magic number for clinching a postseason spot to two (combination of Friars wins and D'backs losses). This would be the third straight year, a club record, the Padres would qualify for the playoffs. The Cubs and Phillies each won, keeping the Friars tied with Chicago atop the NL wild-card standings (remember, Cubs hold the tiebreaker) and one game ahead of Philadelphia.

Buehler made a huge statement in his bid to make a start in the NL Wild Card Series. He had not gotten an out in the seventh inning this year, then got two vs. the Marlins and was nearly through the frame when Javier Sanoa got a hold of a high cutter and drilled it for a three-run homer. Hart finished the seventh, then Rodriguez had a scoreless eighth. Miller, despite it not being a save situation and coming off a five-out, 26-pitch performance the day before, tossed a perfect ninth on just seven pitches.

Cronenworth got the offense started with a two-run homer in the bottom of the second, then had back-to-back RBI doubles with Taylor in the fourth for a 4-0 lead. The homer off Buehler pulled the Marlins within 4-3 in the top of the seventh, Tatis homered in back-to-back games for the second time this week, hitting  solo shot for his 25th of the season. It nearly stayed that way in the eighth, but Bogaerts drew a two-out walk and Cronenworth went deep for just the seventh time this year to make it 7-3. Cronenworth finished 3-for-5 with five RBIs and three runs scored. Taylor also had three hits as the Padres reached double digits in hits for the seventh straight time and 10th in 11 games.

Marvelous Mason Miller

Some of the amazing stats for the Padres' closer:

• Season stats: 5-2, 1.21 ERA, 63 games, 37 saves (40 chances), 67 IP, 33 H, 12 R, 9 ER, 23 BB, 123 K, .144 opponent average
• His 37 saves rank second in the NL and fourth in MLB. Bryan Baker of the Tampa Bay Rays leads MLB with 40 saves.
• Sunday marked the 50th of 87 victories he has finished this year.
• Of his 63 games, has not allowed a run in 53 of those.

Random Stats

• Before this streak of five, the Padres had four consecutive winning seasons twice: 1982-85 and 2004-07.
• Fernando Tatis Jr.'s leadoff homer Tuesday was his fifth of 450 feet or greater this season, the most in MLB.
• The Padres' 52 hits vs. the Rockies were the most by any MLB team in any series this year. They were also the most by the Friars in a series since 2022 vs. the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
• The Padres did what they should do against the two worst teams in the division this season. They went 11-2 vs. the Rockies and 9-4 vs. the Giants.
• Xander Bogaerts' homer in the Rockies finale was the sixth consecutive game the Padres homered on the first pitch of an at-bat.
• The seven runs scored in the second inning vs. the Rockies was the most in a single inning by the Padres this year.
• The Padres completed their 11th sweep by taking the three games vs. the Marlins.
• Aside from their 18-win April, September is on the verge of being the Padres' second-best month. They are 13-4 this month, matching the second-most wins of any other month (May and July, neither of which was a winning record).

Transactions

• Monday: Activated 1B Ty France from the paternity list.
• Monday: Optioned 2B Mason McCoy to Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas.

Website Highlights

• Can Padres say Machado's power-heavy season has been a success? — Randy Holt
• Padres' Vasquez is back on the upswing at the perfect time — Yirsandy Rodriguez
• Does Salas' two-homer game alter Padres' postseason plans at catcher? — Steve Drumwright
• Padres' incessant tinkering with Mize must have an endgame before playoffs — Yirsandy Rodriguez
• Harris is helping keep the Padres' bench afloat — Randy Holt
• Campusano's September slump has put Padres in precarious position — Randy Holt
• Affiliate season recap: Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm — Steve Drumwright

Looking Ahead

• Monday: Off
• Tuesday: Padres (Michael King) at Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto), 7:10 p.m.
• Wednesday: Padres (Robbie Ray) at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
• Thursday: Padres (Nick Pivetta) at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
• Friday: Diamondbacks (Casey Mize) at Padres, 6:40 p.m.
• Saturday: Diamondbacks (Walker Buehler) at Padres, 5:40 p.m.
• Sunday: Diamondbacks (Michael King) at Padres, 12:10 p.m.

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