Padres Week in Review: Fernando Tatis Jr. Changes Vibes With Walk-Off Homer

San Diego Padres Weekly Snapshot

Record last week: 4-2

Runs scored last week: 31

Runs allowed last week: 23 (season run differential: minus-10)

Scores

• Game 65 (Monday): Padres 6, Reds 2
• Game 66 (Tuesday): Reds 5, Padres 3 (11 innings)
• Game 67 (Wednesday): Padres 5, Reds 4
• Thursday: Off
• Game 68 (Friday): Orioles 7, Padres 3
• Game 69 (Saturday): Padres 9, Orioles 3
• Game 70 (Sunday): Padres 5, Orioles 2

Week in Review and Highlights

Reds series

Game 1: Maybe Freddy Fermin should be hitting cleanup. OK, that is a joke, but Fermin appears to fully be out of his hitting slump. The catcher homered for the third straight game and the Padres used some small-ball tactics to help produce runs in a 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Fermin had been in an 0-for-30 funk when he went deep Saturday, then followed that with another long ball Sunday and made it three in a row when he started the scoring with a solo shot Monday. He now has back-to-back games with multiple hits and is 5-for-9 over the last three games.

But it was also the guys brought up from Triple-A last week to provide energy and speed that were in the middle of the offense on this night. The Reds led 2-1 entering the bottom of the seventh, then tied the game on back-to-back doubles by Xander Bogaerts and Gavin Sheets. Then came the bunts. Jase Bowen put down what should have been a sacrifice bunt but turned out to be a single, then Samad Taylor, who like Bowen was at Triple-A El Paso until last week, put down a sac bunt that plated Sheets when it wasn't handled cleanly by the first baseman for a 3-2 lead. Fermin followed with a bunt in front of the plate that the pitcher couldn't pick up in time to make a play, loading the bases. But the threat ended there as Fernando Tatis Jr. flew out to shallow right field and Jackson Merrill hit a grounder to third for a force out. In the eighth, Bogaerts had a one-out single and Bowen a two-out single to put runners on the corners, then stole second. Taylor then broke it open with a soft two-run single to left to bring both runners home. After Taylor stole second, Fermin singled him home for a 6-2 cushion.

Padres right-handed starter Walker Buehler wasn't great, but he battled to minimize the damage. Buehler was reached for eight hits and two walks in 4⅔ innings, however only allowed one run. After right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez gave up a run on a hit and a walk in two-thirds of an inning, left-hander Adrian Morejon (1⅔ innings), right-hander Jason Adam (one inning) and closer Mason Miller (one inning) didn't allow a hit, with Adam and Miller punching out three.

Game 2: Getting six hits from Machado and Tatis and having their most in just more than a month, the Padres had 20 at-bats with runners in scoring position. And still couldn't break out. While it could be a sign that things are about to change, on this day, it proved to be another frustrating day by the offense. The Friars dropped a 5-3 decision in 11 innings to the Reds as they were able to get a hit just three times in those 20 opportunities.

It really stood out from the eighth inning on. Machado's leadoff double in the eighth went for naught as Gavin Sheets, grounded out with Machado moving to third, pinch-hitter Ty France was walked, then, after a pitching change, Taylor struck out and Bowen hit a broken-bat fly to shallow right field that was snagged on a sliding catch. In the ninth, Sung-Mun Song and Tatis had one-out singles. Merrill, after a pitching change, reached on an infield single to load the bases before Machado and Sheets struck out. After the Reds scored once in the top of the 10th, Taylor tied the game on a one-out single. He stole second, Bowen struck out and Fermin, who homered in the previous three games, flew out to the warning track in left, just missing a walk-off. The Reds got a Sal Stewart homer in the 11th, while Song, Tatis and Merrill went down in order.

For the second game in a row, the Padres' starting pitcher had to battle himself through a short outing. This time, it was right-hander Lucas Giolito, who only allowed two hits but walked five and gave up two runs (one earned) and had three strikeouts. He threw 85 pitches, only 43 of which were strikes. That was the second-most pitches he has thrown in his five starts this season and the third straight start where he didn't get an out in the fifth inning. The bullpen of right-hander David Morgan, Morejon, Adam and Miller was very good, punching out 10 and giving up three hits in five innings (Adam did walk two). Right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez handled the 10th and left-hander Yuki Matsui the 11th.

Game 3: This was the moment that had been missing. For all the good things that happened in the first month of the season when things were going right, the entire first two-plus months were missing a Tatis moment. In a 4-4 game and one out from heading to extra innings, Tatis hit a walk-off homer—just his second long ball of the season—gave the Padres a 5-4 victory over the Reds. It was a line-drive shot to left, but the meaning of it was bigger than anything a Wednesday afternoon game in June could have. Tatis could really exhale. His teammates could, too, after the team's best player, carrying the burden of not being the home run hitter he has been, came through when the Friars needed him most, giving them their first series victory in five tries.

But it also came after his teammates put him in that position. The Padres were down 4-2 in the bottom of the eighth after the Reds scored once in the seventh and another in the eighth. Merrill doubled, Sheets drove him in with a one-out double before Bowen came on to run for him. One out later, Taylor came through again, singling to center and sending Bowen streaking for home without a throw for the tying run. Tatis came up in the ninth with two outs. Two 97 mph four-seamers missed inside to begin the at-bat. The third pitch was a slider at the top outside corner of the zone to bring the count to 2-1. The right-hander Chase Petty put an 89.8 mph slider where you shouldn't to any hitter: right in the middle of the zone. Nando drilled it into the first row of the bleachers and set off a celebration that quickly saw him shirtless as his teammates mobbed him.

Again, the starting pitching wasn't great, but didn't suck, either. Right-hander Michael King went 6⅔ innings, but he allowed three runs on a pair of homers. He gave up seven hits altogether with three walks and three strikeouts. That was just enough for the overworked bullpen, which got 1⅓ innings from right-hander Ron Marinaccio and one inning from Wandy Peralta, who picked up the win. A day off to soak in the vibes of the walk-off win before a nine-game road trip seems well-timed.

Orioles series

Game 1: After a day off to swim in all the positivity created by Tatis' walk-off, the Padres opened a nine-game road trip with a chance to make some headway. But the roadie got off to a rocky start as right-hander Griffin Canning struggled early in a 7-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Canning surrendered three runs in each of the first two innings and allowed his second homer of the game in the fourth. He gets credit for battling through and completing five innings, but the quality of his start was poor and didn't give the Padres a chance. It was a career-worst seven runs on six hits and five walks with six punchouts. The walks were the biggest contributor to Canning's catastrophe. He has walked two or more in seven of his eight starts and has 22 in 37⅔ innings (13.5% walk rate)

Again, there were some small signs of the offense starting to wake up. Machado had a pair of doubles in his return to Baltimore, where he began his career, while Sheets, who got a rare right field start, drove in a pair, including an RBI double in the first inning. Tatis singled, had a stolen base, scored a run and drove in another. But the team was 4-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

Game 2: Perhaps it was due to the East Coast heat and humidity, but the Padres sure needed an offensive outburst like they had Saturday. On the strength of a season-high five home, including first-inning blasts from Merrill and Taylor, the Padres rolled to a 9-3 triumph. Taylor's shot, part of a three-hit day, was the first of his MLB career. Sheets, Rodolfo Duran and Machado also went deep. Merrill and Sheets are from the Baltimore area with Sheets' dad, Larry, having played for the Orioles. But the win could come at a bit of a price. Bogaerts left the game in the bottom of the sixth after being hit on the left earflap by a fastball in the top of the fifth. Fermin sustained a freak injury when he turned his head as left-hander Yuki Matsui spiked a warmup pitch in the sixth. Manager Craig Stammen seemed more concerned with Fermin's status, but both are in the concussion territory so nothing is a given with that type of injury as we have seen with Jake Cronenworth.

While that was the bad news, the rest of the day was filled with positives. Merrill and Taylor each followed walks with long balls as the Padres had their highest-scoring first inning of the season with four runs. In the fifth, leading 4-2, they loaded the bases on a pair of walks and Bogaerts' hit by pitch set the stage for Taylor to come through again with a run-scoring single to boost the lead to 5-2. Pinch-hitter Nick Solak, called up before the game as Miguel Andujar went on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring, lofted a sacrifice fly to a 6-2 advantage. Sheets homered in the seventh, his 11th, to make it 7-2, Duran hit his second career homer in the eighth and Machado tacked on his team-leading 12th in the ninth.

Meanwhile, Padres right-handed starter Randy Vasquez turned in five solid innings, but it didn't start well. Staked to that 4-0 lead, Vasquez couldn't turn in a shutdown inning as Pete Alonso homered, Samuel Bassallo walked and Leody Taveras tripled off the right-field wall to pull the Orioles within 4-2. But he was good from there, finishing by allowing six hits and two walks with five strikeouts. The home runs and Bogaerts being hit in the head led to an ejection of Padres right-hander Ron Marinaccio in the eighth inning after he plunked Orioles star Gunnar Henderson in the ninth. Henderson was also buzzed by right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez in the seventh, which likely played into the ejection. Stammen also got tossed following a lengthy argument.

Game 3: In a series in which the Padres faced some adversity with injuries, they came out with their second straight series victory following a 5-2 victory over the Orioles. Duran, suddenly thrust into the No. 1 catcher's role as Fermin went on the seven-day concussion list before the game, played hero as he homered for the second day in a row and also had a run-scoring double as part of a three-RBI day out of the No. 9 spot. Tatis also had a pair of hits and drove in the other two runs.

While they didn't score in the first inning (after putting up a season-high four Saturday), the Friars did threaten as Merrill singled with one out and Bogaerts walked with two outs. But that set the stage for the second inning as Taylor had a leadoff bunt single and took second on Solak's groundout. After Bowen struck out, Duran hit a grounder up the middle that caromed off second base and into right-center, bringing in Taylor with Duran racing into second for a hustle double. Tatis then grounded one past the shortstop and into center to plate Duran for a 2-0 edge. After an Orioles run in the fifth, Duran made it 4-1 with a two-run homer after a Will Wagner walk, a 432-foot shot into the Friars' bullpen in left-center. Duran was in the middle of things again in the ninth. Wagner reached on an error by Henderson, the shortstop, and went to third when Duran benefited from second baseman Jackson Holliday's error. Tatis hit a sacrifice fly to right that Wagner, upon replay review, beat the throw home with a nice slide.

Buehler again battled, but was better than he was Monday. He made it through five innings on 86 pitches (60 strikes), with six hits and no walks, striking out five. The only run came on a fifth-inning leadoff homer by Jeremiah Jackson. Adam gave up a run in the seventh and Miller was again called upon to get a four-out save, which he did with three strikeouts for his 19th of the year. Now the nine-game road trip continues against the St. Louis Cardinals and then the Texas Rangers.

Marvelous Mason Miller

Some of the amazing stats for the Padres' closer:

• Season stats: 1-1, 0.90 ERA, 29 games, 19 saves (19 chances), 30 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 12 BB, 59 K, .119 opponent average
• Has 19 saves, which is second-most in MLB behind the 23 (in 25 opportunities) by Cade Smith of the Cleveland Guardians.
• Sunday marked his fifth four-out save of the season and 14th of his career.
• Has finished 25 of the Padres' 37 victories.
• Has not allowed an earned run in 51 of his 53 appearances as a Padre, including the postseason.

Random Stats

• With his 2-for-3 game Monday vs. the Reds, Jase Bowen became the first Padre to notch his first run, first walk, first stolen base and first multi-hit game of his career in the same game. Bowen had two steals, becoming the first player to do all of that with two steals since Tom Shopay of the New York Yankees on Sept. 23, 1967, vs. the Minnesota Twins.
• Padres relievers struck out 13 on Tuesday vs. the Reds, the second time this season they had that many in a single game. The other came May 6 against the San Francisco Giants, a game in which the Friars used an opener and Matt Waldron fanned seven.
• Will Wagner went 3-for-4 with a double and two walks in his first two games after being called up. After being acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline last year, Wagner went 2-for-15 with no extra-base hits and two walks in 15 games.
• Samad Taylor's first career homer Saturday came in his 107th plate appearance, spanning the last four seasons with the Kansas City Royals (69 PAs in 2023), Seattle Mariners (.14 in 2024-25) and now Padres (23 entering the game).
• Randy Vasquez notched his sixth win of the season Saturday, matching his previous career high set last year. He had 12 wins in the previous three years entering the season.

Transactions

• Tuesday: Placed SS Xander Bogaerts on the paternity list.
• Tuesday: Recalled IF Will Wagner from Triple-A El Paso.
• Wednesday: Signed free agent 1B Nick Pratto to a minor-league contract and assigned him to Triple-A El Paso.
• Friday: Activated SS Xander Bogaerts from the paternity list.
• Friday: Designated OF Bryce Johnson for assignment.
• Saturday: Placed DH Miguel Andujar on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Thursday with a strained left hamstring.
• Saturday: Selected the contract of 1B-OF Nick Solak from Triple-A El Paso.
• Sunday: Placed C Freddy Fermin on the 7-day concussion list.
• Sunday: Selected the contract of C Blake Hunt from Triple-A El Paso.
• Sunday: Designated RHP Ty Adcock for assignment.
• Sunday: Sent RHP Matt Waldron on a rehab assignment to Triple-A El Paso.

Website Highlights

• Desperate Padres might as well lean into Taylor's skill set — Randy Holt
• Padres trade chips: What prospects could be available in a trade? — Steve Drumwright
• Padres' lack of punch threatening to tank season — Tom Gatto
• Padres are still waiting for the Bogaerts who dominated in Boston — Yirsandy Rodriguez
• Offseason budget restrictions proving to be Padres' undoing in 2026 — Randy Holt
• Buehler back on the upswing with Padres — Yirsandy Rodriguez

Looking Ahead

• Monday: Padres (Lucas Giolito) at Cardinals (Dustin May), 4:45 p.m.
• Tuesday: Padres (Michael King) at Cardinals (Andre Pallante), 4:45 p.m.
• Wednesday: Padres (Griffin Canning) at Cardinals (Kyle Leahy), 11:15 a.m.
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Padres (Randy Vasquez) at Rangers (Jacob deGrom), 5:05 p.m.
• Saturday: Padres (Walker Buehler) at Rangers (Nathan Eovaldi), 1:05 p.m.
• Sunday: Padres (Lucas Giolito) at Rangers (MacKenzie Gore), 11:35 a.m.