Padres Week in Review: The Week Nando Reminded Us He Is A Superstar

San Diego Padres Weekly Snapshot

Record last week: 4-2 (67-58)

Runs scored last week: 29

Runs allowed last week: 16 (season run differential: plus-16)

Scores

• Game 126 (Monday): Mets 2, Padres 1
• Game 127 (Tuesday): Padres 5, Mets 2
• Game 128 (Wednesday): Mets 4, Padres 2
• Thursday: Off
• Game 129 (Friday): Padres 6, Twins 2
• Game 130 (Saturday): Padres 7, Twins 5
• Game 131 (Sunday): Padres 8, Twins 1

Week in Review and Highlights

Mets series

Game 1: Manager Craig Stammen has emphasized being aggressive on the basepaths in his first season. That trait likely cost the Padres a victory in their series opener against the New York Mets. The Padres had four runners thrown out at the plate in the first two innings, three by outfielders, in what would wind up being a 2-1 loss to the Mets. The loss didn't hurt in the standings as the Padres remained in the third and final NL wild-card spot, one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies and one ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks. To amplify the outs at the plate, all the runs in this game were scored in the first two innings, the Mets getting two in the bottom of the first and the Friars their lone run in the top of the second.

The Padres had four consecutive hits after Fernando Tatis Jr.'s game-opening lineout to the pitcher yet didn't score. How? Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado had soft singles to left and right to put runners on first and second. Ty France then hit a single to right-center that right fielder Carson Benge, who had outfield assists in the previous two games, fielded and fired home to easily nail Cronenworth, who tried jumping over the tag and tumbled past the plate. That was the second out. Jackson Merrill then lined a single to right that was right at Benge, who came in and threw out Machado trying to score from second by several steps. Four hits, no runs. In the second inning, now trailing 2-0, walks to Luis Campusano and Xander Bogaerts sandwiched Gavin Sheets getting hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Luis Rengifo hit a chopper back to the mound that pitcher Nolan McLean fielded and threw a bit high to home, getting the forceout of Campusano. Tatis just missed a grand slam when he flew out to the warning track in left to bring in Sheets, but leaving Bogaerts at second and Rengifo at first. With two outs, Cronenworth grounded a single to shallow left that left fielder A.J. Ewing charged and got Bogaerts at the plate in a close play. Five baserunners, one run.

After that, things were normal. Padres right-handed starter Walker Buehler gave up a single and a walk before Bo Bichette's seeing-eye single grounded between France at first and Cronenworth at second to bring in the first run. After a groundout moved runners to second and third, Luis Robert Jr. hit a sacrifice fly to center for a 2-0 Mets lead. Buehler finished strong, going six innings, allowing no more hits, one more walk and striking out four. Left-hander Kyle Hart finished the final two innings without allowing a run and striking out three.

Game 2: This was a Nando game. Tatis had his most dynamic game of the season, flashing the skills that make him one of the game's most electric players. The superstar right fielder hit the first pitch of the game for a homer, dramatically robbed a grand slam, then bashed another homer to carry the Padres to a 5-2 victory over the Mets. The win kept the Padres in the No. 3 NL wild-card position, one game behind the Phillies, but now two games ahead of the D'backs, who lost. Tatis' curious season has gone from no power production at all to now one of a reliable source of homers. The pair he hit Tuesday gave him 15 for the year, with seven coming in the first 18 days of August. His 452-foot first-pitch ambush gave him four homers of 450 feet or better this year, more than any other player in MLB, including all those players with at least 30 homers. He went oppo taco for a two-run shot in the fifth inning for a 3-0 Friars advantage.

But the game turned on his defensive play. The two-time Platinum Glove winner as the NL's best overall defender stole four runs from the Mets when fellow superstar Francisco Lindor launched a 1-0 Robbie Ray sinker down the right-field line. Tatis raced back to the wall and timed his leap one step from the wall perfectly, then played showman as he landed and his hat flew off, waiting a couple beats while staring straight-ahead before flipping the ball from his glove to his barehand, signifying he made the dramatic catch to end the bottom of the second inning. It kept the Mets scoreless instead of putting New York up 4-1.

From there, Ray, the left-hander who likes to dance in and out of trouble, kept things in relative control. Although he did give up a solo homer among his three hits allowed, he kept a lifeless Mets lineup in check, earning his first win with the Friars. With some well-rested arms in the bullpen, two hitters reached against right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez, one on a Bogaerts error and another on a hit, before left-hander Adrian Morejon came on to face the switch-hitting Lindor, getting him to pop out and striking out Bichette. Robert tagged Morejon's first pitch of the eight for a home run before finishing the inning. After Machado homered in the top of the ninth to make it 5-2, that brought in right-handed closer Mason Miller, who hadn't pitched in nearly a week. The superstar didn't show any rust, retiring all three batters he faced, striking out Lindor and Bichette to wrap up his 31st save this year. The punchout of Bichette was fairly comical after Miller threw the first pitch back to the screen, then had Bichette flailing.

Game 3: Losing a series to the Mets is not optimal for a team with postseason aspirations. But the way the Padres have played over the last month afforded them a blip. The only question is whether this blip will come back to haunt them. With right-handed starter Michael King turning in a nice 6⅔ innings but the offense not firing on all cylinders, the Padres dropped a 4-2 decision to the Mets and two of three games in the series. The Friars ended a six-game road trip against the Mets and Cleveland Guardians 3-3, still remaining in the No. 3 NL wild-card position, but now two games behind the No. 2 wild card Phillies and a game up on the D'backs. Another former Friars pitcher had a hand in this one. Mets right-handed starter Robert Stock, who was designated for assignment by the Padres after the 2019 season and been a journeyman since, struck out six over 4⅓ innings, giving up a run on two hits. Five Mets relievers held the Padres down until a run in the ninth.

King was good, although he gave up a two-run homer to Benge in the fourth, finishing an out shy of seven innings but trailing 2-1. Right-hander Jeremiah Estrada got out of a two-on jam when Tatis threw out Francisco Alvarez at the plate. Estrada got into trouble in the eighth with a one-out walk, a stolen base and a single putting runners on the corners. Estrada induced Bichette into what could have been an inning-ending double play, but Sung-Mun Song, who moved from third base to shortstop due to a cramp to Bogaerts, charged and threw wildly to second, allowing a run to score to make it 3-1. Left-hander Yuki Matsui came in to face the switch-hitting Benge, who hit a grounder to second and Cronenworth threw out the runner at home for the second out. But with runners on the corners, Jared Young singled off Matsui to put the Mets up 4-1.

The Padres would quickly bring the tying run to the plate in the top of the ninth against beleaguered starter-turned-reliever Kodai Sengai. With one out, Rengifo singled and Campusano walked. Sheets pinch-hit for Jase Bowen and delivered an RBI single to pull the Padres within 4-2. Austin Hays pinch-hit for Song, but hit into a double play to end the game. The Padres rank second in MLB in hitting into the most double plays. Bogaerts left due to a cramp in his right hamstring, something to monitor, even though Stammen said "he's fine."

Twins series

Game 1: How the Padres figure out their rotation from here will be interesting, but in a good way. Just three weeks prior, two of their rotation spots were filled with the chaos plan of short starts, would-be starters in relief and then the bullpen. Following the trade-deadline acquisitions of two starters and the impending return of Joe Musgrove after another turn (or two?) through the rotation, right-hander Randy Vasquez is complicating that discussion and suddenly giving the Padres six reliable starters. That is a result of his surprising seven innings in a 6-2 series-opening victory over the Minnesota Twins, who could manage just two hits. The Friars maintained their No. 3 spot in the NL wild-card standings, remaining two games behind the Phillies and holding a two-game lead over D'backs for the final spot.

It was a good combination of pitching and offense. France and Tatis led the way at the plate. France smashed his 18th homer of the season, a two-run shot, into the second deck in left field in the bottom of the first and adding a fifth-inning sacrifice fly. He also walked twice. Tatis went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. His hit in the fifth was the first of three straight RBI singles, with Rengifo and Machado following suit before France capped the four-run outburst.

But this was Vasquez's game, although that was briefly in doubt. It is widely expected that Vasquez is on the rotation chopping block when Musgrove, who will have one more rehab start this week, comes off the injured list. But he has had three very good outings in his four starts since the deadline, perhaps feeling a bit underappreciated and wanting to make sure no one forgot what he can do. Vasquez went seven innings for the second time this season and turned in the Friars' fifth straight quality start, something that hasn't been done in two seasons. Before this stretch, the Padres hadn't had more than two in a row. He allowed both of the Twins' hits and runs, while not issuing a walk and striking out three. Vasquez got into trouble once. After retiring the first nine hitters of the game, he allowed a leadoff single to Luke Keaschall in the fourth, then a forceout grounder to Byron Buxton. After hitting former Padre Josh Bell and getting Ryan Jeffers to line out to right, Kody Clemens rocketed a triple off the wall in right that tied the game 2-2. There might have been a time where manager Craig Stammen would have removed Vasquez from the game, but the vibes are good with the rotation and his patience paid off. Clemens was stranded at third as Vasquez retired the final 10 Twins he faced. Rodriguez pitched a perfect eighth and Miller came on in a nonsave situation and punched out all three batters he faced. Vasquez is now tied with Morejon for the team lead with nine wins.

Game 2: Things didn't start well for Casey Mize, then they got worse for the Padres' right-handed starter. But thankfully for the Friars, the bottom line was exactly what they were looking for. After Mize gave up three early homers and then left after slipping on the dugout steps, the Padres rallied for a four-run seventh inning to pull out a 7-5 victory over the Twins. The victory was due as much to an unsung hero as it was someone who has come through all season. Right-hander Griffin Canning, relegated to the bullpen after failing to produce as a starter, pitched 3⅓ scoreless innings to give the offense a chance to come back. The rally in the seventh was capped by France, who singled home the go-ahead run.

Mize had already given up three solo homers when he left the mound after the top of the second. As he went down the dugout steps, he caught a cleat and twisted his right ankle. He went out for the top of the third under the watchful eye of the training staff and got two outs before giving up a double with his velocity down a couple ticks, prompting his exit from the game. It is not known whether he will make his next start. For a moment, it rekindled the chaos pitching plan as Hart got the next three outs, allowing that inherited runner to score, then one of his own as the Padres were suddenly in a 5-1 hole. That one run came on a Merrill homer in the second, his 20th of the season. Merrill drove in another run in the sixth to make it 5-2 before the Padres used some more of their late-inning magic in the seventh. With one out, Fermin reached on catcher's interference, Tatis singled and Cronenworth drove both home with a double to left, trimming the deficit to 5-4. Machado hit a grounder to shortstop and Cronenworth broke to third and would have been out except the third baseman whiffed on the catch. Cronenworth sped home with the tying run, with Machado taking second. France then sent an opposite-field single down the right-field line, bringing home Machado with the go-ahead run. The Friars would add another in the eighth on singles by Campusano, Fermin and Tatis.

After Canning's big effort and now with the lead, Morejon mowed down the Twins in the eighth and Miller came on for a perfect ninth, including a nice running catch in the right-field corner by Tatis, notching his 32nd save.

Game 3: For the second time this week, Tatis took over a game. Only this time, it was just his bat. The Padres' superstar had his second two-homer game of the week to back a strong performance from Buehler in an 8-1 victory over the Twins, completing a three-game sweep. The Phillies and D'backs also won, keeping the Friars in the No. 3 and final position in the NL wild-card chase, two games behind Philadelphia and two games in front of Arizona. The Padres swept a Twins team that entered the weekend tied for the third AL wild-card spot, but below .500.

This game was not as dramatic for Tatis as his game Monday vs. the Mets was, but it may have been more impressive. Tatis went 4-for-5 with four RBIs and his 29th steal of the season, hitting solo homers in the third and eighth innings. The 10 total bases were his most this year, while it was his second four-RBI game in 2026. Tatis' 12 homers since the All-Star break are the most in MLB, giving him 17 for the season. Merrill also homered, his 11th since the break, second in as many days and 21st of the season. It was a 1-1 game entering the sixth, when the Padres put up a four-spot. Rengifo snapped that tie with a two-run double, then Tatis followed with a two-RBI single. Merrill's two-run blast came in the seventh.

Tatis' performance overshadowed what Buehler did, but was equally as important. Buehler turned in the Padres' sixth quality start in seven games, going six innings, allowing a run on four hits with no walks and four punchouts. It was his third straight six-inning start after having three in his previous 23 games. Peralta and Matsui took care of business after that. The Padres now welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates to Petco Park, a team that is slipping in the NL wild-card standings.

Marvelous Mason Miller

Some of the amazing stats for the Padres' closer:

• Season stats: 4-1, 0.83 ERA, 52 games, 32 saves (33 chances), 54⅓ IP, 24 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 19 BB, 99 K, .131 opponent average
• Ranks second in the NL and fourth in MLB with 32 saves.
• Struck out the side Friday, the eighth time he has done that, twice as many as any other reliever in MLB. He has struck out three in an inning 14 times.
• Has finished 43 of the Padres' 71 victories this year.
• Has a 47.1% whiff rate, which leads MLB.

Random Stats

• Manny Machado's ninth-inning homer Tuesday snapped a 20-game homerless 
• Luis Campusano and Freddy Fermin have combined to reach base at least once in 34 of 36 games since the All-Star break.
• Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jake Cronenworth joined an exclusive group this week. The duo each surpassed 200 total bases and already had 20 steals, making them the first teammates with 200-20 this season and two of nine in all of MLB.
• Ty France's three RBIs Friday gave him a team-high of eight games with at least three RBIs, while playing in about one-third fewer games than the other big offensive contributors.
• In Sunday's game, Gavin Sheets and Austin Hays split the designated hitter duties, with each going 0-for-0 with two walks. Hays scored twice.
• The Padres had their 53rd sellout Sunday in 66 games at Petco Park this season.

Transactions

• Tuesday: Sent LF Samad Taylor on a rehab assignment to El Paso Chihuahuas.

Website Highlights

• Feliciano, Jones approved as Padres' new owners — Steve Drumwright
• Tatis is, once again, one of the best players in baseball — Randy Holt
• Tatis, Merrill anchoring Padres' defensive turnaround — Randy Holt
• Clarifying Padres' options for adding Salas to the postseason roster — Steve Drumwright
• Rengifo has been a spark plug to the Padres' second-half success — Cade Lalim
• Morgan belongs in the Padres' bullpen — Randy Holt
• Elite-as-advertised bullpen is Padres' great equalized entering stretch run — Sam Caulder
• Padres have been hit hard by injuries, but it could be worse — Steve Drumwright

Looking Ahead

• Monday: Pirates (Braxton Ashcraft) at Padres (Robbie Ray), 6:40 p.m.
• Tuesday: Pirates (Paul Skenes) at Padres (Michael King), 6:40 p.m.
• Wednesday: Pirates (Bubba Chandler) at Padres (Randy Vasquez), 1:10 p.m.
• Thursday: Off
• Friday: Padres (Casey Mize) at Rays, 4:10 p.m.
• Saturday: Padres (Walker Buehler) at Rays, 1:10 p.m.
• Sunday: Padres (Robbie Ray) at Rays, 10:40 a.m.