Steve Drumwright

Padres Minor-League Transactions None. Ian Koenig Finishes Strong As Chihuahuas Drop Finale Another season of San Diego Padres minor-league baseball has come to a close. This one concluded with the host Triple-A Chihuahuas dropping a 2-1 decision to the Oklahoma City Comets. The Chihuahuas went 2-4 in the series and finished with a 60-90 record, including 25-50 and last place in the second half of the Texas League's East Division. Chihuahuas right-hander Ian Koenig, in his second start of the week, finished strong, allowing just one run on four hits and a walk with two strikeouts. He posted a 2.33 ERA in five Chihuahuas starts after a 5.40 ERA in 21 for the Double-A San Antonio Missions. That resulted in a 4.19 ERA for the season. Koenig finished with 120 strikeouts, two behind right-hander Winyer Chourio for the system lead. Right-hander Sean Boyle followed Koenig and went the final four innings, allowing a run on four hits and a walk while punching out five. He did give up the go-ahead RBI triple to Alek Thomas with one out in the top of the eighth inning. It was a line drive to center that Carlos Rodriguez made a diving effort for but came up short and rolled to the wall. The Chihuahuas had only four hits in their finale, singles by Rodriguez, Gage Workman, Marcos Castanon and Anthony Vilar. The only Chihuahuas run came in the second. Trailing 1-0, Castanon singled to right and went to second on a groundout. Vilar then hit a liner to right-center that easily scored Castanon from second. EP1_0920.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Nick Pratto, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 1 Gage Workman, RF 4 0 1 0 0 2 Carlos Rodríguez, LF 3 0 1 0 1 0 Nick Solak, DH 4 0 0 0 0 0 Marcos Castañon, 3B 4 1 1 0 0 0 Braedon Karpathios, CF 4 0 0 0 0 1 Anthony Vilar, C 2 0 1 1 1 1 Rosman Verdugo, SS 1 0 0 0 2 0 Oswaldo Linares, 2B 3 0 0 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ian Koenig 5 4 1 1 1 2 0 Sean Boyle (L, 10-9) 4 4 1 1 1 5 0 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas, C: TBD Ryan Wideman, CF: Season complete Coleman Borthwick, RHP: Season complete Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP: Season complete Ty Harvey, C: Season complete Kale Fountain, OF: Season complete Jorge Quintana, SS: Season complete Alex McCoy, LF: Season complete Braedon Karpathios, RF: 0-for-4, K Lamar King Jr., C: Season complete Elliot Lascelles, SS: Season complete Tucker Musgrove, RHP: Season complete Jagger Haynes, LHP: DNP Jake Cunningham, OF: Season complete Truitt Madonna, C: Season complete Eric Yost, RHP: Season complete Winyer Chourio, RHP: Season complete Jesus Castro, RHP: Season complete Michael Salina, RHP: Season complete Rosman Verdugo, SS: 0-for-1, 2 BB View full article

San Diego Padres Transactions El Paso Chihuahuas placed RHP Trevor Gott on the 7-day injured list. RHP Abraham Parra assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from San Antonio Missions. Chihuahuas Explode For 7-Run Sixth To Ground Comets The Tripe-A El Paso Chihuahuas saved one of their biggest innings of the season for their next-to-last game of the season. Bryce Johnson's bunt single and an error snapped a tie that fueled a seven-run sixth inning in the host Chihuahuas' 14-8 triumph over the Oklahoma City Comets. Rehabbing Padres left fielder Miguel Andujar went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored as he gets ready to return to the MLB lineup. Andujar is 11-for-36 (.306/.316/.444) in nine rehab games, with five doubles and five RBIs. Gage Workman drove in four runs with a pair of singles, Nick Pratto went 3-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored, while Johnson, Nick Solak and Mason McCoy also had a pair of hits. McCoy walked twice, scored three times and stole his 40th base, extending his career best. Solak also doubled and walked twice, scoring two runs. The Chihuahuas had a bullpen game, with left-hander JP Sears starting and going just one inning, then 20-year-old right-hander Abraham Parra made his Triple-A debut and was torched for five runs in 1⅔ innings on six hits and a walk. Right-hander Daison Acosta went 2⅓ innings, giving up a run, while right-hander Ty Adcock struck out three in two scoreless innings and right-hander Alek Jacob gave up two runs in the final two innings. Oklahoma City led 5-1 entering the bottom of the fourth. Workman had a two-run single, Victor Duarte a sacrifice fly and Rosman Verdugo an RBI single to tie it, then Andujar put the Chihuahuas up with a line-drive single to center, scoring Johnson. The Comets tied it in the top of the fifth before the Chihuahuas took over with a seven-run bottom of the sixth. Two runs came in as Johnson put down a nice bunt that he beat out, but the pitcher threw past the first baseman, putting the Chihuahuas up 8-6. Marcos Castanon singled home a run, then Pratto had a two-run double to left and Workman a two-RBI single to right for a 13-6 advantage. EP1_0919.mp4 EP2_0919.mp4 EP3_0919.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy 4 3 2 0 2 0 Bryce Johnson 4 1 2 2 0 0 Miguel Andujar 4 2 2 1 1 0 Nick Solak 3 2 2 0 2 0 Marcos Castañon 4 2 1 1 1 0 Nick Pratto 4 2 3 3 0 0 Gage Workman 5 1 2 4 0 2 Victor Duarte 4 0 0 1 0 3 Rosman Verdugo 5 1 2 1 0 1 Totals 37 14 16 13 6 6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR JP Sears 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Abraham Parra 1 2/3 6 5 5 1 1 2 Daison Acosta 2 1/3 1 1 1 2 0 0 Ty Adcock 2 1 0 0 0 3 0 Alek Jacob 2 2 2 2 3 1 0 Totals 9 10 8 8 6 6 2 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas, C: 1-for-1, RBI Ryan Wideman, CF: Season complete Coleman Borthwick, RHP: Season complete Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP: Season complete Ty Harvey, C: Season complete Kale Fountain, OF: Season complete Jorge Quintana, SS: Season complete Alex McCoy, LF: Season complete Braedon Karpathios, RF: DNP Lamar King Jr., C: Season complete Elliot Lascelles, SS: Season complete Tucker Musgrove, RHP: Season complete Jagger Haynes, LHP: DNP Jake Cunningham, OF: Season complete Truitt Madonna, C: Season complete Eric Yost, RHP: Season complete Winyer Chourio, RHP: Season complete Jesus Castro, RHP: Season complete Michael Salina, RHP: Season complete Rosman Verdugo, SS: 2-for-5, 1 K View full article

The Lake Elsinore Storm had speed to burn—and burn it they did. All the way to a championship. The Storm compiled the fourth-most steals in minor-league history with 357 during the regular season. It paid off with a first-half title in the California League’s South Division as the Storm went 39-27. The second half was a much different story, as the Storm went 27-38, including 11 straight losses, and finished last in the division. But a slew of 2026 draft picks were added to the roster in the final few weeks of the season and injected a spark into the team, who knocked off the second-half South winner Ontario Tower Buzzers (Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate) in the Cal League Division Series. Then, the Storm impressively beat the San Jose Giants in the best-of-three Cal League Championship Series despite being no-hit in Game 2. For his work, Brallan Perez was named the Cal League’s Manager of the Year. The Storm had three standout starters in right-handers Winyer Chourio, Jesus Castro and Tyler Schmitt, with Chourio getting a midseason promotion to High-A Fort Wayne after a 3.31 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 51⅔ innings. Offensively, the Storm had a strong first half with the bats of center fielder Ryan Wideman (.314/.389/.504), first baseman Luke Cantwell (.328/.475/.496) and third baseman Kerrington Cross (.313/.467/.608) leading the way. Wideman stole 43 bases before a midseason promotion and led the minors in that category for much of the season before slowing down in the second half and hitting the injured list. He finished with 65 steals in 109 games and moved up to Padres Mission's No. 2 prospect. With the change in personnel and reversal of fortunes in the standings, the Storm ended up in the middle of the pack in batting average (fifth of eight teams) and ERA (also fifth). Power was not a big part of the Storm’s offense until late in the season. They finished last in the Cal League with 96 homers—22 behind the next-worst team—but 28 of those came in the final 31 regular-season games. That was in large part due to the draft picks who joined the Storm. Seventh-round draft pick Joe Tiroly hit seven in 17 games to end the season, which puts him fourth on the team-wide season leaderboard. Other draft picks to make their pro debuts in the final weeks with the Storm were first-rounder Coleman Borthwick (Padres Mission's No. 3 prospect), second-rounder Elliot Lascelles (Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect), fifth-rounder James Guyette, sixth-rounder Nu’u Contrades, eighth-rounder Sean Fitzpatrick, ninth-rounder Benjamin Stubbs, 10th-rounder Augie Lopez, 11th-rounder Chris McHugh, 12th-rounder Rob Evans and 16th-rounder Albert Roblez. Some pitchers that popped as the season progressed include right-handed starter Lan-Hong Su, who initially had some notable struggles upon his promotion, then struck out eight over three innings in the Cal League clincher. Left-hander Adler Cecil was a strikeout machine, fanning 112 in just 64⅔ innings. His 112 punchouts were fourth-most in the Padres’ system despite pitching less than half of the innings of two of the three pitchers ahead of him and two-thirds of the other. There was a big injury loss early in the season when Kale Fountain, who was transitioning from a corner infielder to a corner outfield spot, crashed into the fence in foul territory and needed season-ending shoulder surgery. Lake Elsinore Storm 2026 Stat Leaders League: California League South Division First half: 39-27, first place, 3 games ahead, plus-74 run differential Second half: 27-38, fourth place, 10½ GB, minus-64 run differential Hitting leaders (20 games minimum) Average: Luke Cantwell .328, Ryan Wideman .314, Kerrington Cross .313 Slugging percentage: Cross .608, Justin DeCriscio .544, Wideman .504 OPS: Cross 1.075, Cantwell .971, DeCriscio .907 Runs: Bradley Frye 65, Qrey Lott 60, Conner Westenburg 60 HRs: Cross 11, Quintana 9, Lott 8 RBIs: Jose Verdugo 54, Jorge Quintana 52, Truitt Madonna 45 Pitching leaders (10 games minimum) ERA: Nick Falter 3.02, Winyer Chourio 3.31, Jeferson Villbona 3.86 Strikeouts: Tyler Schmitt 106, Jesus Castro 100, Kruz Schoolcraft 82 WHIP: Villabona 1.10, Falter 1.14, Chourio 1.22 Opponent average: Chourio .204, Carson Swilling .206, Jordan Valenzuela .208 Wins: Schmitt 8, Bryan Balzer 6, Javier Chacon 4, Will Koger 4, Brandon Langley 4 Saves: Koger 6, Langley 3, Ethan Long 3 View full article

Padres Minor-League Transactions None. Chihuahuas Drop Pair; Jason Adam struggles again Mason McCoy went 3-for-3 and three of the four pitchers for the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas didn't allow an earned run, but the Oklahoma City Comets came away with a 4-3 victory in the second game Friday. The Chihuahuas dropped the completion of Thursday's suspended game 14-7. Rehabbing Padres right-handed reliever Jason Adam gave up four runs in one-third of an inning in the second game, his second outing in three days. He gave up three hits and a walk with a strikeout. He has given up nine runs while recording one out in these last two outings. He threw 18 pitches, including 10 strikes. Another Padre on the road back, Miguel Andujar, went 0-for-2 in the first game with two strikeouts and a sacrifice fly while playing left field. He only played the first four innings of the game before being replaced defensively. Andujar did not play in the second game. McCoy also walked and scored twice in the seven-inning game. No one else had multiple hits. Bryce Johnson and Nick Solak each had RBI singles for the Chihuahuas. Right-hander Jhony Brito started for the Chihuahuas and went two shutout innings, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out two. Right-hander Evan Fitterer gave up an unearned run on one hit with three walks and one strikeout over two innings, while Brent Honeywell allowed three runs on four walks and two hits in his lone inning. Right-hander Hunter Stratton pitched the final two innings, not allowing a run on three hits with a strikeout. Solak singled home McCoy, who had a leadoff single, in the bottom of the first. The Comets tied it in the third and took a 4-1 lead in the fifth. The Chihuahuas pulled within 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth as Victor Duarte and McCoy sandwiched walks around a flyout, then Johnson singled home the first run. A grounder put runners on the corners with two outs, when McCoy scored on a passed ball. McCoy tried to singlehandedly get the tying run home as he singled, stole second and third, giving him 39 on the season. Johnson walked and stole second before a strikeout and then a pitching change. Solak was walked intentionally to load the bases, but Nick Pratto struck out and Gage Workman flew out to end the game. In the completion of the suspended game, the Chihuahuas gave up six runs in the first two innings after play resumed. The game had been interrupted Thursday tied 5-5 in the fifth inning. Anthony Vilar went 3-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, Pratto went 2-for-4 with a triple, a walk, two RBIs and a run scored, Johnson also had two hits, an RBI and two runs scored and Marcos Castanon walked twice, doubled and scored twice. Chihuahuas left-handed starter Luis Gutierrez made it through just three innings, giving up five runs on seven hits with two walks and two strikeouts. EP1_0918.mp4 EP2_0918.mp4 COMPLETION OF SUSPENDED GAME Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy 4 0 0 1 0 2 Carlos Rodríguez 4 0 0 1 1 1 Miguel Andujar 2 0 0 1 0 2 Braedon Karpathios 2 0 0 0 0 1 Nick Solak 5 0 1 0 0 0 Marcos Castañon 3 2 1 0 2 1 Nick Pratto 4 1 2 2 1 0 Bryce Johnson 5 2 2 1 0 2 Rosman Verdugo 4 2 1 0 1 2 Anthony Vilar 3 0 3 1 1 0 Totals 36 7 10 7 6 11 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Luis Gutierrez 3 7 5 5 2 2 1 Sean Boyle 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 Logan Gillaspie (L, 6-7) 2 5 2 2 0 1 0 Jason Adam 1/3 3 4 4 1 1 1 Garrett Hawkins 2 2/3 3 3 3 1 3 1 Totals 9 18 14 14 5 9 3 SECOND GAME Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy 3 2 3 0 1 0 Bryce Johnson 2 0 1 1 1 1 Carlos Rodríguez 4 0 0 0 0 2 Nick Solak 3 0 1 1 1 0 Nick Pratto 4 0 0 0 0 2 Gage Workman 4 0 0 0 0 2 Anthony Vilar 2 0 0 0 0 1 Marcos Castañon 1 0 0 0 0 0 Victor Duarte 2 1 1 0 1 1 Braedon Karpathios 3 0 1 0 0 1 Totals 28 3 7 2 4 10 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jhony Brito 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 Evan Fitterer 2 1 1 0 3 1 0 Brent Honeywell (L, 0-2) 1 2 3 3 4 0 0 Hunter Stratton 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 7 8 4 3 7 4 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas, C: 0-for-4 Ryan Wideman, CF: Season complete Coleman Borthwick, RHP: Season complete Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP: Season complete Ty Harvey, C: Season complete Kale Fountain, OF: Season complete Jorge Quintana, SS: Season complete Alex McCoy, LF: Season complete Braedon Karpathios, RF: 0-for-2, K (first game); 1-for-3, K (second game) Lamar King Jr., C: Season complete Elliot Lascelles, SS: Season complete Tucker Musgrove, RHP: Season complete Jagger Haynes, LHP: Season complete Jake Cunningham, OF: Season complete Truitt Madonna, C: Season complete Eric Yost, RHP: Season complete Winyer Chourio, RHP: Season complete Jesus Castro, RHP: Season complete Michael Salina, RHP: Season complete Rosman Verdugo, SS: 1-for-4, 2 R, BB, 2 K (first game); DNP (second game) View full article

After hitting his first two homers in the same game, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that Ethan Salas should be the San Diego Padres' primary catcher during the postseason. But has he earned that right yet? Not so fast. Wednesday's 9-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies was the 20-year-old's fifth start behind the plate since being called up by the Padres. Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect started another game at designated hitter. He has played in nine of the Friars' 14 games entering Thursday's series finale against the Rockies. Working Salas into the lineup is tricky for manager Craig Stammen. The Padres have had Luis Campusano and Freddy Fermin split time all season and it has mostly worked out just fine. Campusano has the better bat of the two, while Fermin is the better defender. Salas has the upside to be a star catcher in MLB, but not the experience. He is 20 years old, after all. The biggest benefit of Wednesday's two-homer game, in which Salas became the youngest catcher to go deep twice in the same game (20 years, 107 days) and the youngest of any Padre to do so, was instilling confidence in the young backstop. He went 0-for-12 before hitting a flyball triple off the tall wall in San Francisco for his first MLB hit Sunday. Then came his two-homer game Wednesday. Stammen is looking for opportunities to give Salas experience, putting him in during a blowout without the pressure of a critical pennant-race at-bat. While trying to balance the need to win every game to clinch an NL wild-card berth and keeping his regular two catchers in form, it was telling that Salas was not in the lineup to conclude the Rockies series, even if it would have been as the DH. It was Jackson Merrill's turn to DH after Fernando Tatis Jr. did it the day before. Is it a missed opportunity to ride Salas' hot hand and build his confidence? Perhaps. But it also depends on the plan the Padres have internally for Salas. Sure, fans want to see the rookie phenom in these final regular-season games and then the playoffs. He is the future for the Friars behind the plate. But if you take a closer look at Salas' catching duties, you might get a clue as to what that plan is. In the four games Salas has started behind the plate, He has caught Nick Pivetta twice and Casey Mize and Robbie Ray once each. Pivetta makes a lot of sense as Salas caught the right-hander in Salas' last Triple-A game before his promotion. The Mize game was in Salas' MLB debut against the Cincinnati Reds, while the Ray start was Wednesday. Salas has also caught a bulk of the Padres' bullpen. However, three relievers Salas has not yet caught in a game are Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and Bradgley Rodriguez, the Padres' end-of-game arms. Is that on purpose or just how the games played out? It could also be because Salas, while everyone has said for the last couple years that he was MLB-ready as a defender, still needs some polish back there before handling the Friars' big bullpen arms. Salas has caught Miller, Morejon and Rodriguez during spring training, but that's a different environment than a playoff chase. Also, opponents are 5-for-5 stealing against Salas despite his excellent arm, with his one error coming on a catcher's interference against the Yankees. Salas hasn't had consistent playing time since coming up, something that is new to him. After all, he has typically been the best player on his team wherever he has been. He played in three straight games on the homestand against the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals, then in back-to-back games vs. the Giants and Rockies. Even of those seven games, four were coming off the bench, and two of those in the DH role. In the Nationals game, Salas started, the game was tight and he was pinch-hit for, with Fermin handling catching duties the rest of the way with Rodriguez, Morejon and Miller entering the game and securing a 3-2 victory. If Salas continues to get hits when he does get playing time, you could see similar situations like that Nationals game where Salas starts and Fermin comes in late in the game to handle the high-velocity arms. As a left-handed bat, which is rare off the Padres' bench with Gavin Sheets still on the injured list, Salas could get some pinch-hit opportunities and another couple starts before the postseason. He is a no-brainer to make the 26-man roster for the NL Wild Card Series as you don't need as many pitchers for the best-of-three series. If the Padres advance beyond that, however, the rookie's status will be something to monitor closely. View full article

Padres Minor-League Transactions None. CAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Storm Win 5th Cal League Title Behind Strong Pitching, Big Offense For the fifth time, the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm are California League champions. Behind tremendous pitching and their trademark pressure offense, the Storm beat the host San Jose Giants 13-2 Wednesday in the decisive Game 3 of the California League Championship Series. The Storm have won the Cal League in two of the last five years (2022). They also won in 1996, 2001 and 2011. The 2001 title was shared with the Giants when the Championship Series was canceled due to the Sept. 11 attacks. The Giants, who won both halves of the North Division, were the defending Cal League champs. The Storm, who won the first half in the South and finished last in the second, had been swept by the Giants, who went 20-2 to close the regular season, in a six-game series at The Diamond just five weeks prior, being outscored 61-13, including a 21-2 loss. The Storm, who lost 11 straight as part of that Giants sweep, scored 26 runs in these three games. But this series was much different thanks to that offense and the Storm's pitching. The Giants had the Cal League's top offense, but scored just one run in the ninth inning of Game 1 and then two in Game 3. That was thanks to right-handers Coleman Borthwick and Lan-Hong Su. The 18-year-old Borthwick, the Padres' first-round draft pick this summer and Padres Mission's No. 3 prospect, started and struck out two over two shutout innings, allowing two hits and no walks in his second pro game. The 19-year-old Su struck out eight of the 15 hitters he faced, allowing a run on four hits with a walk. The eight strikeouts were the second-most of Su's debut season, having fanned nine in his last regular-season start over 4⅔ innings. A night after being no-hit in Game 2, the offense was also up to the big moment. Sixth-round draft choice Nu'u Contrades led off the second inning with a first-pitch homer and drove in three runs, while Qrey Lott had two doubles, a triple and a hit by pitch in four trips with two RBIs and three runs scored. Lott created a run in the third as he doubled and stole third and scored when shortstop Josuar Gonzalez threw wild to third. Second-round pick Elliot Lascelles (Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect) singled and scored on seventh-rounder Joe Tiroly's double to the left-center gap for a 3-0 lead. After Ty Harvey (Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect) reached on a one-out error in the third, Lott hit a flyball to left that got lost in the lights, winding up as an RBI triple. Lott scored on Tiroly's sacrifice fly to center. After the Giants got their first run in the bottom of the fourth, the Storm broke it open with a four-run sixth. Dawson Willis drew a leadoff walk and went to second on Harvey's groundout. Lott followed with his second double of the game, driving in Willis. Lott was caught off second, but a throwing error by the pitcher allowed him to score. Tiroly walked, stole second and fourth-rounder Alex Conover walked. Contrades followed with a two-run double and a 9-1 lead. Storm right-hander Jack Pineau, an undrafted free agent, allowed a run in one-plus inning, which could have been worse and left-hander Andrew Wright not induced the first batter he faced in the seven into a double play. After the RBI single, another single and a walk loaded the bases, but Wright got out of it with a popup to short. The Storm added a run in the eighth as Conover fouled out to left, with Lascelles, who had singled and took third on a throwing error, scoring to make it 10-2. In the ninth, the Storm added more cushion when Jorge Quintana (Padres Mission's No. 7 prospect) and Jose Verdugo singled, then Willis hit a single to center that was misplayed, leading to a Little League homer and a 13-2 advantage. Left-hander Rob Fitzpatrick, the Padres' eighth-round draft pick, closed out the ninth, allowing a one-out walk and seeing another runner reach on an error. But a flyout to right and a strikeout looking set off a Storm celebration. The Giants committed five errors, matching a season high. The Storm also drew seven walks. The Storm join Padres Gold, who won the Dominican Summer League, as Padres affiliates to win championships this season. LE1_0916.mp4 LE2_0916.mp4 LE3_0916.mp4 LE4_0916.mp4 LE5_0916.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Elliot Lascelles 5 2 2 0 1 2 Joe Tiroly 4 1 2 2 1 0 Alex Conover 4 1 0 1 1 2 Nu'u Contrades 4 1 2 3 1 1 Jorge Quintana 4 1 1 0 1 2 Jose Verdugo 5 1 1 0 0 0 Dawson Willis 4 2 2 0 1 0 Ty Harvey 4 1 0 0 1 1 Qrey Lott 4 3 3 2 0 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Coleman Borthwick 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 Lan-Hong Su 3 4 1 1 1 8 0 Jack Pineau 1 3 1 1 1 1 0 Andrew Wright 2 3 0 0 1 2 0 Sean Fitzpatrick 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 Miguel Andujar Notches Only 2 Hits, Jason Adam Rocked For El Paso Rehabbing Padres designated hitter Miguel Andujar had the only two hits for the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, who got a strong starting pitching performance of their own in a 12-0 loss to the Oklahoma City Comets. The Comets clinched a spot in next week's Pacific Coast League Championship Series vs. the Las Vegas Aviators. Another Padre on a rehab assignment, right-handed reliever Jason Adam, gave up five runs on four hits without recording an out. He walked one and threw 20 pitches, 12 strikes in his second rehab outing. After grounding out in his first two at-bats, Andujar broke up the perfect game by Comets left-hander Jackson Ferris as he hit a slow chopper toward third that Ferris fielded, whirled and threw late to first. Andujar then added his fifth double of his rehab assignment with two outs in the ninth. Andujar, coming back from a fractured right wrist, is 9-for-30 (.300/.300/.467) in seven rehab games. Ferris struck out 13 in 7⅔ innings and only allowed that one hit as well as a walk. Chihuahuas left-handed starter Jagger Haynes, Padres Mission's No. 13 prospect, allowed a run on five hits and a walk while striking out three in his final start of the season. He finished with a 5.80 ERA. https://padresmission.com/san-diego-padres-top-prospect-rankings/jagger-haynes-r129/ The Chihuahuas turned the first triple play in club history covering 1,760 games. It came after Haynes allowed two singles to open the top of the fourth inning. With the runners going on the pitch, Hyesong Kim then hit a liner right at first baseman Marcos Castanon, who stepped on first for the second out and threw to shortstop Gage Workman at second base to easily complete the triple play. EP1_0916.mp4 EP2_0916.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy 4 0 0 0 0 2 Miguel Andujar 4 0 2 0 0 0 Nick Solak 4 0 0 0 0 2 Marcos Castañon 3 0 0 0 0 1 Gage Workman 3 0 0 0 0 2 Rosman Verdugo 2 0 0 0 1 1 Braedon Karpathios 3 0 0 0 0 1 Victor Duarte 3 0 0 0 0 2 Oswaldo Linares 3 0 0 0 0 2 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jagger Haynes 6 5 1 1 1 3 0 Jason Adam 0 4 5 5 1 0 0 Hans Crouse 1 1/3 3 4 4 3 1 0 Daison Acosta 1 2/3 2 2 2 0 3 1 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI Ryan Wideman: On injured list Coleman Borthwick: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ty Harvey: 0-for-4, R, BB, K Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana: 1-for-4, R, BB, 2 K Alex McCoy: DNP Braedon Karpathios: 0-for-3, K Lamar King Jr.: DNP Elliot Lascelles: 2-for-5, 2 R, BB, 2 K Tucker Musgrove: On injured list Jagger Haynes: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, L Jake Cunningham: DNP Truitt Madonna: DNP Eric Yost: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP Jesus Castro: DNP Michael Salina: On injured list Rosman Verdugo: 0-for-2, BB, K View full article

With the end of the minor-league season upon us, it is time to look back at the progress—or lack thereof—of prospects in the San Diego Padres’ system. While it is well-documented that the Padres have the worst minor-league system in MLB, there are some players who jumped into the prospect picture that Friars fans should be excited about. One player who remained a constant was Ethan Salas, the No. 1 prospect who recently made his MLB debut. For this exercise, we are going by Padres Mission’s Top 20 list from the preseason and comparing it with the last one we did in August, coming off the trade deadline and including the draft. There is a stark difference in how the lists look for a variety of reasons, including the players lost at the trade deadline. Here is how the two lists look: Preseason Ethan Salas, C Kash Mayfield, LHP Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP Bradgley Rodriguez, RHP Miguel Mendez, RHP Jagger Haynes, LHP Humberto Cruz, RHP Ty Harvey, C Ryan Wideman, CF Kale Fountain, OF Romeo Sanabria, 1B Jorge Quintana, SS Lamar King Jr., C Garrett Hawkins, RHP Tirso Ornelas, OF Kavares Tears, OF Truitt Madonna, C Deivid Coronil, SS Eric Yost, RHP Francis Pena, RHP August Update Ethan Salas, C Ryan Wideman, CF Coleman Borthwick, RHP Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP Ty Harvey, C Kale Fountain, OF Jorge Quintana, SS Alex McCoy, LF Braedon Karpathios, RF Lamar King Jr., C Elliot Lascelles, SS Tucker Musgrove, RHP Jagger Haynes, LHP Jake Cunningham, OF Truitt Madonna, C Eric Yost, RHP Winyer Chourio, RHP Jesus Castro, RHP Michael Salina, RHP Rosman Verdugo, SS Who Dropped Out? A whopping 10 players are no longer on our Top 20 prospects list. One thing I will admit is that with Padres Mission just concluding our second season, we as a group are still getting a feel for some of the players in the system and what their value is. That said, two players from our preseason list were traded at the deadline. Left-hander Kash Mayfield, who began as our No. 2 prospect and held that spot, was dealt to the Detroit Tigers in the Casey Mize trade. The other is right-hander Miguel Mendez, who was hurt much of the season and was No. 5 at the start of the year, went to the San Francisco Giants for left-hander Robbie Ray. Another player graduated from prospect status in right-handed reliever Bradgley Rodriguez, now a key component of the Padres’ bullpen. A fourth player, right-hander Humberto Cruz, was the No. 7 prospect, but had been arrested in an immigration case where he helped transport people illegally into the U.S. and pled guilty to misdemeanor charges. Six players had their prospect star fade this season. First baseman Romeo Sanabria (No. 11 to begin the year), right-handed reliever Garrett Hawkins (No. 14), outfielder Tirso Ornelas (No. 15), outfielder Kavares Tears (No. 16), shortstop Deivid Coronil (No. 18) and right-hander Francis Pena (No. 20) all dropped from the Top 20. With the exception of Coronil, who was injured all season, it was more of other players surpassing them as none had a truly bad season. Who Jumped Up? Now, for the exciting part. Let’s start with the draft picks. First-round selection Coleman Borthwick, who just made his pro debut with the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm, checks in at No. 3. Second-rounder Elliot Lascelles is No. 11 (and will certainly move up in our next round of rankings). Lascelles finished the regular season for the Storm with a .321/.406/.429 slash line in 15 games. Three players came from off the board right to the middle of the pack. That group is led by outfielder Alex McCoy (now at No. 8), who is joined by outfielder Braedon Karpathios (No. 9) and right-handed reliever Tucker Musgrove (No. 12), another player who should be higher in our rankings upon the next update. McCoy and Karpathios are both undrafted free agents. McCoy earned a promotion to Double-A San Antonio and finished with a .278/.355/.467 slash line with 31 doubles, 19 homers (a system best) and 71 RBIs in 123 games between the Missions and High-A Fort Wayne. In 25 games at Double-A, he slashed .314/.360/.467 with four homers and 16 RBIs. Karpathios was just promoted to Triple-A El Paso, has a season slash line of .262/.350/.432, having hit 17 homers with 73 RBIs in 126 games entering the final week of the season. Musgrove, who finished the season on the injured list, has split this year between High-A Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio, appearing in 34 games with a 4.19 ERA and a 42.8% strikeout rate and 15.7% walk rate. Outfielder Jake Cunningham is No. 14 after doing a lot of damage for Fort Wayne and then getting bumped up to San Antonio. He had a .269/.369/.560 slash line with 15 homers, including a three-homer game, and 35 RBIs in 57 games for the TinCaps, then slashed .301/.370/.459 with four homers and 26 RBIs for the Missions in 39 games. The final four players moved from outside the Top 20 into the final four slots. Those would be right-handed starters Winyer Chourio (No. 17) and Jesus Castro (No. 18), right-hander Michael Salina (No. 19), who battled injuries this year coming back from Tommy John surgery, and infielder Rosman Verdugo (No. 20). Chourio had a combined 3.31 ERA between Lake Elsinore and Fort Wayne, with a 14% walk rate and 29.9% strikeout rate, while Castro had a 4.18 ERA and a 7.9% walk rate and 25.4 strikeout rate. Salina, a fourth-round draft pick in 2024, appeared in just seven games with an 8.22 ERA, with a walk rate of 12.2% and strikeout rate of 19.5% in 7⅔ innings. Verdugo has spent the last two seasons at Fort Wayne and slashed .225/.340/.389 in 109 games this year, then got a brief promotion to Triple-A El Paso this past weekend. View full article

The California League Championship Series will come down to a decisive Game 3 after the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm were no-hit in a 9-1 loss to San Jose. Meanwhile, the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas began their final series of the season with an 11-5 victory over Oklahoma City Padres Minor-League Transactions San Diego Padres optioned 2B Mason McCoy to El Paso Chihuahuas. El Paso Chihuahuas placed C Rodolfo Durán on the 7-day injured list. C Oswaldo Linares assigned to El Paso Chihuahuas from San Antonio Missions. CAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Storm Are No-Hit In Game 2, Go For Title In Decisive Game 3 It will come down to a final game to determine whether the Low-A Lake Elsinore Storm win their second title in five years and finish runner-up for the second time in three years. The Storm were no-hit by three pitchers in losing to the host San Jose Giants 9-1 in Game 2 of the California League Championship Series. Game 3 in the best-of-three series is Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. back in San Jose. The Giants, who won both halves of the North Division, are looking to win back-to-back titles. Right-hander Argenis Cayama went the first five hitless innings, right-hander Ian Korn, the Giants' 10th-round draft choice, the next two and right-hander Eric Nachtsheim, the Giants' sixth-rounder, went the final two. Cayama struck out seven. Left-hander Kruz Schoolcraft (Padres Mission's No. 4 prospect) is a strong possibility to start for the Storm, who are looking for their fifth championship in their 11th trip to the Cal League finals. They shared the 2001 title with the Giants due to the finals being canceled following the Sept. 11 attacks. The Storm also won in 1996, 2011 and 2022. Right-hander Coleman Borthwick, the Padres' first-round draft pick and Padres Mission's No. 3 prospect, would likely be in a relief role after making his debut in the clinching Game 2 of the South Division Series with two innings. After the Storm held the Cal League's best offense off the scoreboard until the ninth inning of Sunday's Game 1, they didn't have the same fortune in Game 2. Storm right-handed starter Jesus Castro, Padres Mission's No. 18 prospect, started with four shutout innings before things started to turn in the fifth. He allowed two runs on five hits and a walk with three strikeouts. The Storm took a 1-0 lead without the benefit of a hit in the third inning. Dawson Willis walked and went to second on a balk. After two strikeouts, a passed ball moved Willis to third. Second-round draft choice Elliot Lascelles (Padres Mission's No. 11 prospect) walked and then started a double steal, stopping short of second as Willis swiped home and Lascelles took second. The Giants tied it in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out RBI single to short that Jose Verdugo nearly got the inning-ending out at first. Castro nearly made it through five innings, getting the first two outs before hitting a batter and giving up a flare double that Willis made a diving effort in center only to deflect away, with the run scoring for a 2-1 Giants lead. Right-hander Tyler Pitzer came in and got the final out. But Pitzer gave up three straight singles to load the bases in the sixth, left-hander Rob Evans, the Padres' 12th-round draft choice, was asked to put out the fire. Evans walked the first batter he faced to make it 3-1, then struck out the next two before a passed ball by Ty Harvey (Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect) and an ensuing throwing error allowed two runs to score for a 5-1 Storm deficit before getting out of the inning with a fly to center. The Giants added four more in the seventh. Player AB R H RBI BB K Elliot Lascelles 2 0 0 0 1 0 Augie Lopez 1 0 0 0 0 1 Joe Tiroly 4 0 0 0 0 1 Alex Conover 2 0 0 0 0 0 Nu'u Contrades 3 0 0 0 0 2 Jorge Quintana 3 0 0 0 0 1 Jose Verdugo 2 0 0 0 0 1 Jesmaylin Arias 1 0 0 0 0 0 Dawson Willis 2 1 0 0 1 1 Ty Harvey 2 0 0 0 0 2 Truitt Madonna 1 0 0 0 0 1 Qrey Lott 2 0 0 0 0 1 Chris McHugh 1 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 26 1 0 0 2 11 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jesus A. Castro (L, 1-1) 4 2/3 5 2 2 1 3 0 Tyler Pitzer 1/3 3 3 1 0 1 0 Rob Evans 1 1/3 2 2 1 1 2 0 Yoesmerli Beltre 1/3 1 2 0 2 0 0 Rordy Mejia 1 1/3 0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 8 11 9 4 5 6 0 Mason McCoy Drives In 4 As Chihuahuas Win Opener Mason McCoy returned from a weekend with the Padres by driving in four runs, including a bases-loaded double, and right-hander Ian Koenig turned in six strong innings to lead the host Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas to an 11-5 victory over the Oklahoma City Comets to begin their final series of the season. The Chihuahuas prevented the Comets from clinching the Pacific Coast League's East Division second-half title. Miguel Andujar, in his second week of a rehab assignment following a fractured right wrist, went 1-for-5 with two RBIs and a strikeout while playing a full game on defense in left field. This was his second game in left, having played seven innings Thursday. Gage Workman went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored, while Nick Solak had two hits and a run scored. Marcos Castanon scored three runs without a hit, walking once and being hit by a pitch. Koenig allowed one run on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts. The run came on a fifth-inning solo homer. He is scheduled to start the season finale Sunday. Right-hander Ty Adcock came on for two perfect innings, striking out three. Right-hander Trevor Gott, in his second appearance with the Chihuahuas after being released by the Washington Nationals, couldn't get an out in the ninth, giving up three runs. Right-hander Alek Jacob came in to get out of the mess, giving up a run on a solo homer. Already up 1-0 in the second inning, McCoy lined his 22nd double of the season to right-center, scoring all three runners on base for a 4-0 lead. The teams traded fifth-inning runs, then the Chihuahuas took control with a five-run sixth inning. Bryce Johnson had an RBI single, McCoy a bases-loaded walk, a wild pitch scored another run and Andujar capped the rally by chopping a two-run single up the middle for a 10-1 advantage. EP1_0915.mp4 EP2_0915.mp4 Player AB R H RBI BB K Mason McCoy 4 1 1 4 1 1 Miguel Andujar 5 0 1 2 0 1 Carlos Rodríguez 5 0 1 1 0 1 Nick Solak 4 1 2 0 0 1 Nick Pratto 4 1 1 0 0 1 Marcos Castañon 2 3 0 1 1 0 Gage Workman 4 1 2 1 0 0 Bryce Johnson 4 1 1 1 0 1 Anthony Vilar 2 3 1 0 2 0 Totals 34 11 10 10 4 6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Ian Koenig (W, 3-0) 6 3 1 1 1 4 1 Ty Adcock 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 Trevor Gott 0 1 3 3 1 0 0 Alek Jacob 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 Totals 9 5 5 5 2 8 2 Padres Mission's Top 20 Prospect Performance Ethan Salas: DNP Ryan Wideman: On injured list Coleman Borthwick: DNP Kruz Schoolcraft: DNP Ty Harvey: 0-for-2, 2 K Kale Fountain: Injured, out for season Jorge Quintana: 0-for-3, K Alex McCoy: DNP Braedon Karpathios: DNP Lamar King Jr.: DNP Elliot Lascelles: 0-for-2, BB Tucker Musgrove: On injured list Jagger Haynes: DNP Jake Cunningham: DNP Truitt Madonna: 0-for-1, K Eric Yost: DNP Winyer Chourio: DNP Jesus Castro: 4⅔ IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 3 K, L Michael Salina: On injured list Rosman Verdugo: DNP View full article

With the Triple-A regular season concluding this week, most of the San Diego Padres' minor-league players are done with competitive games for 2026. Except for a select few who were picked to represent the Padres in the Arizona Fall League. Led by catcher Ty Harvey, Padres Mission's No. 5 prospect, eight Padres prospects will be in the annual MLB showcase. The Arizona Fall League is considered a finishing school for many prospects, but also provides an opportunity for key players who had their season disrupted by injury to get high-quality appearances. Other players selected are outfielder Alex McCoy (Padres Mission's No. 8 prospect), right-handed starter Winyer Chourio (Padres Mission's No. 17), infielder Justin DeCriscio, left-hander Igor Gil and right-handers Kannon Kemp, Francis Pena and Jordan Valenzuela. All of the Padres' prospects will play for the Peoria Javelinas. Peoria is where the Padres have their spring training and minor-league headquarters. Harvey fits the bill of a player whose season was disjointed due to injury. The 20-year-old had a quad injury that cost him three weeks early in the season (April 14-May 12), then had his left hand broken as it was hit by a batter on a catcher's interference play two weeks later that sidelined him until late July. Harvey is an offensive force who is a work in progress behind the plate. Those injuries limited him to 46 games at Low-A Lake Elsinore, where he slashed .218/.310/.329 with three homers and 28 RBIs while also stealing nine bases. This was Harvey's first full season in the pros after being a fifth-round pick by the Padres last year out of Inspiration Academy in Bradenton, Fla. McCoy earned this honor through his performance on the first. An undrafted free agent who was signed in 2025, McCoy rocketed from relative unknown up to No. 8 on our prospect list with his production at High-A Fort Wayne and Double-A San Antonio. The 24-year-old had a combined .278/.355/.467 slash line with 19 homers, 71 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. His 19 homers tied for the system lead with Jake Cunningham and his 31 doubles were second to Tirso Ornelas (33). Chourio started the season strong at Low-A Lake Elsinore, earning him a midseason promotion. He had his struggles in the second half with the TinCaps. He finished the year with a 4.56 ERA and 122 strikeouts (29.9% strikeout rate), which led the system, in 92⅔ innings, while walking 57 (14% walk rate) and limiting opponents to a .229 batting average. View full rumor

This weekend in San Francisco changed a lot regarding the San Diego Padres' postseason possibilities. Not only did the Padres sweep the Giants in three games, but they went from a half-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks to 2½ games up thanks to a seven-game winning streak. The Padres are 81-78 with 13 games remaining, while the Diamondbacks are 79-71 with 12 games remaining. The swing game comes Thursday in the Friars' finale of a four-game series vs. the Colorado Rockies. Of course, still looming is the three-game set to end the regular season against Arizona at Petco Park. There is a chance that the Padres will have less at stake in that series than you would have thought entering this past weekend. Elsewhere in the NL wild-card race, the Padres also got good news. There is a chance the Friars could improve their seeding for the postseason. The Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies, once head and shoulders ahead of the Padres, are now tied for the top two NL wild-card spots, 1½ games clear of San Diego. Depending on your outlook, the Padres should either just sit in the No. 6 seed (No. 3 wild card) or try to jump one or both of the Cubs and Phillies. Whether that is possible, is another thing. In the No. 5 or 6 position, the Padres would be on the road. The No. 4 seed would host the No. 5 seed in the best-of-three NL Wild Card Series. The No. 6 seed will be the visiting team against the worst of the three division winners, which is currently Atlanta, 2½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Milwaukee Brewers are 2½ up on the Dodgers for the No. 1 seed. The top two teams get first-round byes. Let's take a look at the remaining schedules for the four teams battling for the three NL wild cards. San Diego Padres If you don't have this memorized by now, are you even a Padres fan? Just kidding (sort of). As mentioned above, the Friars begin the final two weeks in Denver against the Rockies, MLB's worst team at 55-94. The Rockies have been much more competitive this season as a whole, but they are still destined to lose 100 games for the fourth year in a row. The Padres, in order, will send right-handers Casey Mize, Walker Buehler, Robbie Ray and Michael King to the mound. After riding left-hander Adrian Morejon and right-handed closer Mason Miller hard in the last week-plus, a few blowouts to give them extra rest would certainly be nice. This weekend, the Padres return home against a dangerous Miami Marlins team. The Marlins have some weapons to play spoiler and will have a chance to do so (as I will expound upon in a bit), with a combination of pitching and power. Remember, this is the series the Padres swept in July as they started their second-half push. Then we come to the final week of the season. First up, after their next day off next Monday, is three games on the road against the Dodgers. At that point, the Dodgers will have the NL West wrapped up and could still be jockeying with Atlanta and the Brewers for a first-round bye. Rivals will always want to ruin the other's season, so those three games will be intense as always. Then the Diamondbacks come to Petco Park for the last three games of the regular season. Mize, Buehler and Ray are lined up for that series barring right-hander Randy Vasquez getting a spot start during this current stretch of 10 consecutive games. That also puts King in position to start the playoff opener, but also available to jump up and pitch the final Sunday of the season if needed. The Padres and Diamondbacks are currently tied in the season series 5-5, so if it comes to that, whoever wins two games in the series will win the tiebreaker. The Padres, however, lose the tiebreakers to the Phillies (0-6) and Cubs (1-5), so they would need to finish ahead of either to get a better seed. Arizona Diamondbacks Remember how we talked about the Marlins playing spoiler? They could be the Padres' best friend to start this week as they begin a nine-game road trip against the Diamondbacks. Arizona has already been swept in Miami and is the definition of a .500 team, having gone 24-22 since July 25. The Padres have gone 26-19 in that same stretch, including 1-5 to begin that run. Arizona is in the middle of a nine-game homestand, which opened with a 1-2 series against the Texas Rangers, a team that hadn't won a road series in two months. After the Marlins, the Diamondbacks host the New York Yankees, who are pretty locked in as the AL's top wild-card team at the moment. Right-handers Cam Schlittler and Gerrit Cole will each get a start this weekend. Before the Diamondbacks come to Petco Park, they will also face the Rockies, this one being three games in Denver. Like the Padres, Arizona will have next Monday off, meaning that they will come directly to San Diego after playing in the Denver altitude, which can sometimes be a challenge for a team for at least a day. Philadelphia Phillies The Phillies have 12 games remaining and have a favorable schedule this week, although that is on the road. After a day off Monday, the Phillies have a pair of games against the Washington Nationals and then four against the New York Mets. Both teams are capable of playing a spoiler role and the Phillies have lost seven of their last 11. After that, the Phillies return home for the final six regular-season games. But those are two tough series, facing the Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays, the probable No. 1 seeds in the NL and AL, respectively. The Phillies went 1-6 vs. the Cubs, thus losing the tiebreaker. Chicago Cubs You can make a good argument that the Cubs have the toughest schedule in the final two weeks. And their travel schedule doesn't help. The Cubs wrap up a six-game homestand beginning Monday against Atlanta, then travel to the Cincinnati Reds for three games. The Reds (70-79) are the cushiest opponent remaining for the Cubs. The Marlins come back into play as the Cubs go back home for three games vs. Miami. There are days off before and after the Reds series for the Cubs, mitigating the short road trip to Cincinnati. But there is not a break for the Cubs following the Marlins series as they travel to the Boston Red Sox to finish the regular season. The series could mean nothing to the Red Sox, who enter the final two weeks as the probable No. 2 wild card in the AL. Conclusion The Padres are sitting in a good spot entering the Rockies series and that might be the best position for them entering the postseason. As the last wild card, the Friars are likely to face Atlanta in the NL Wild Card Series. (Atlanta has a fairly challenging schedule in the Cubs, Houston Astros, Reds and Marlins.) San Diego would need a lot to happen in order to climb over the Cubs and Phillies and claim the top wild-card spot. So it really comes down to which team would the Padres rather play on the road: the Cubs or Phillies? While the Phillies have been struggling recently, they have two weeks to correct that and have the starting pitching that can shut an opponent down, not to mention the game-changing power of Kyle Schwarber. The Cubs, on the other hand, have had to scramble all season to put competent starters out there and their bullpen is a mess. Offense is the strength of the Cubs, who can trot out probable NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong and a loaded lineup behind him. Considering the Padres were swept at Wrigley Field, including a forgettable 23-3 loss in the series finale, a couple weeks before the All-Star break, the Friars would probably love a chance to redeem themselves for that, as well as last year's three-game NL Wild Card Series loss to the Cubs. View full article

Get ready for a little bit of dad strength this week. First baseman Ty France was activated from the paternity list Monday by the San Diego Padres. France and his wife, Magdalena, were expecting twins. The couple also have a 2-year-old son, Luka. France is expected to be in the lineup for Monday's series opener against the Colorado Rockies in Denver. The Friars have a 2½-game lead for the third and final NL wild card over the Arizona Diamondbacks. To make room for France, infielder Mason McCoy was optioned back to Triple-A El Paso for the final week of the Chihuahuas' season. McCoy came up Friday for the three-game series against the San Francisco Giants, but did not play. France has been a boon for the Padres this year, compiling a .294/.363/.510 slash line with 20 homers, matching his career best, 63 RBIs and anchoring the defense at first base. There could be two more activations coming, perhaps Monday or during the Rockies series. Those would be designated hitter-left fielder Miguel Andujar, who has been on a rehab assignment at El Paso, and right-handed reliever Jason Adam, who made a rehab appearance Sunday for the Chihuahuas. View full rumor

San Diego Padres Weekly Snapshot Record last week: 6-0 Runs scored last week: 37 Runs allowed last week: 23 (season run differential: plus-22) Scores Game 144 (Monday): Padres 3, Nationals 2 Game 145 (Tuesday): Padres 5, Nationals 4 Game 146 (Wednesday): Padres 9, Nationals 2 Thursday: Off. Game 147 (Friday): Padres 7, Giants 5 Game 148 (Saturday): Padres 7, Giants 6 Game 149 (Sunday): Padres 6, Giants 4 Week in Review and Highlights Nationals series Game 1: Right-hander Nick Pivetta returned to the Padres' rotation surprisingly early and gave the Friars a boost with his terrific performance. Pivetta, who hadn't pitched since leaving an April 12 start with a flexor injury in his right elbow, returned by throwing five shutout innings in a 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals. The victory kept the Padres a half-game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the battle for the third and final NL wild-card berth. Pivetta returned after making just two rehab starts after he walked off the mound Aug. 4 after his elbow didn't feel right in his initial rehab assignment. Other than having an issue with being sharp, Pivetta did more than what the Padres expected him to against one of the top offenses in MLB. He retired the first seven batters he faced and 15 of 17 overall, giving up just two hits while striking out two. The Nats were aggressive but didn't generate much in the way of quality contact, aside from the second batter of the game lining out to Jackson Merrill as he crashed into the center-field wall and a double off the wall by James Wood in the third inning. The offense did just enough. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Merrill each had three hits with Manny Machado adding two. Merrill also drove in a pair of runs. Merrill had an RBI single in the first inning to stake Pivetta to an early lead, then the Padres added two more in the third on singles by Machado and Merrill. Tatis and Merrill each stole a base, too. One Pivetta left, the Nats got their runs. Those came courtesy of a two-run homer by Dylan Crews off left-hander Kyle Hart, who had allowed just two runs in his previous seven outings. Right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez and left-hander Adrian Morejon took care of the seventh and eighth without incident, then superstar Mason Miller closed out the ninth, allowing a one-out hit while striking out two for his 34th save. Game 2: It might not have been the best win of the season, but it was certainly the most important to date. Faced with the prospect of going down 1½ games in the NL wild-card race with the D'backs already posting a victory, the Padres got off the floor with a run in the seventh and four in the eighth to steal a 5-4 victory over the Nationals. That kept the Friars within a half-game of the D'backs for the third and final NL wild-card spot. To be clear, this is a two-team race for one spot, with an outside chance of the two teams ahead of the D'backs in the wild-card race having the potential of making all three of those seeds an open competition. The Padres are five games clear of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the No. 5 team in the NL wild-card standings. Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs are three games ahead of D'backs and the Philadelphia Phillies 3½. But this game went from being on the verge of an embarrassing and regrettable loss to a thrilling victory. The Nats have the second-worst bullpen ERA in MLB and this was a bullpen game for them. The only bullpen technically worse than the Nats is the A's, who play in a slightly juiced atmosphere of a minor-league ballpark. Which made the start of the game that much more concerning. The mish-mash group of relievers held the Padres to just a fifth-inning Luis Campusano single through six innings. Two more hits and a wild pitch set up Merrill's sacrifice fly in the seventh. In the eighth and facing a left-hander in just his third MLB game, the Padres drew three walks to begin the inning. The Nats went deeper into their bullpen and brought in another lefty who was making his seventh MLB appearance. Pinch-hitter Austin Hays lofted a sac fly to make it 4-2, then, after a passed ball put runners on second and third, Machado bounced a single just past the pitcher and into center that scored two, tying the game 4-4. Ty France followed with a single that sent Machado to second. With two outs, Campusano lofted a broken-bat single into the Bermuda Triangle of right-center that brought in Machado with the decisive run. From the pitching side, it was a good performance. Critically, right-hander Casey Mize turned in a decent start after three stinkers that had many questioning his spot in the rotation. Mize went 5⅔ innings, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out seven, the most since he came over at the trade deadline. Right-hander Randy Vasquez, in his first relief appearance since getting bumped from the rotation with Pivetta's return, was called upon with runners on first and second and two outs. He gave up an 0-1 two-run double that put the Nats up 3-0, then a flyout to end the inning before a 1-2-3 seventh. Left-hander Yuki Matsui gave up a homer in the eighth to make it 4-1, with right-hander David Morgan to get the final out with a runner on second. That left the ninth to Morejon, with Miller down after pitching the previous two games and three of the last four. Morejon had the same workload as Miller in the previous four games, but his arm was in a better spot to close this one out, which he did with a perfect ninth for his third save of the year. Game 3: You most definitely aren't getting a two-homer, six-RBI game from Merrill even once a week for the rest of the season. But as long as the Padres are getting a productive Merrill, they should be in a good spot once the regular season comes to an end. However, Merrill did do that in the series finale against the Nationals, leading to a 9-2 victory and completing a three-game sweep. The D'backs lost, meaning the Friars are once again in the No. 3 NL wild-card spot, a half-game ahead of Arizona and 2½ behind the Chicago Cubs, who hold the No. 2 wild-card position. If you are curious, the half-game between the Padres and D'backs will remain until the Padres conclude a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies next week. Merrill had been slumping before hitting his previous homer before Wednesday, which came July 26 vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates. In the 13 games since, Merrill has had six multihit games, capped by the 4-for-5, two-homer performance that led to a career-best six RBIs. That also included a triple, making him the third Padre to have two homers and a triple in the same game (Greg Vaughn 1988, Ryan Klesko 2001). Merrill got his triple first and helped erase the Nationals' early 2-0 lead. After France had an RBI single in the third, Merrill ripped a liner just to the right of the 396-foot sign in center that Jacob Young nearly caught as he smashed into the wall. Two runs scored on the play for a 3-2 Padres lead. In the fourth, Samad Taylor had his team-high fourth bunt single that led to an error by the pitcher, scoring a run. Tatis added an RBI single to make it 5-2. Merrill then lofted his 23rd homer of the season, a two-run shot, to left in the fifth for a 7-2 advantage. He added his 24th, another two-run blast, into the bullpen in left-center. Pitching had a weird hiccup, but it ended up playing out well. Right-handed starter Walker Buehler retired the first six batters he faced, then allowed a leadoff homer to Keibert Ruiz in the third. A walk, Nasim Nunez's MLB-leading 46th steal, Young's single and a walk to Wood loaded the bases. Crews singled home a run for a 2-0 lead. After a popout for the first out, manager Craig Stammen came out to the mound. He had forgotten that pitching coach Rueben Niebla had already made a visit in the inning. Stammen said he had intended to remove Buehler, but changed his mind as he walked out and wanted to see how his right-hander felt. Buehler had to exit, with Hart coming in and retiring the next two hitters. Hart went 2⅓ innings, Morgan one-third, Matsui one inning, left-hander Wandy Peralta two innings and right-hander Griffin Canning the ninth, with none of the five relievers allowing a run and only one hit. Giants series Game 1: Whew. This was one of those games where you could pull the hair out of your head. It was a rout early and should have been worse. Then it got tight and then even tighter at the very end. Still, the Padres did just enough to escape with a 7-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants. With their fifth straight win, the Padres maintained their half-game lead over the D'backs for the third and final NL wild-card spot and pulled within 2½ of the Phillies for the No. 2 position. Style points don't matter at this time of year, just the bottom line. Save the various debates for elsewhere. This one started very promising as Dustin Harris and Fermin drove in runs in the top of the second. A five-run third featured an RBI double by Campusano, a two-run double by Xander Bogaerts, Harris' run-scoring triple and another RBI double, this one by Fermin. The bottom of the order had a big role in building a 7-1 lead. There were opportunities to add on, but those were not taken advantage of, which would come back to haunt the Friars. Padres left-handed starter Robbie Ray was doing good things through four innings, but fell apart in the fifth. A double and two walks loaded the bases for Giants superstar Rafael Devers, who blasted a grand slam to trim the Friars lead to 7-5. While another day off would have been good for the Padres' primary bullpen arms, the slam put the A Team into action. Matsui, Morejon and Rodriguez retired nine of the 10 batters they faced, setting up Miller. But Miller was sharp. He did get help with a terrific sliding catch by left fielder Jase Bowen in foul territory for the first out on the first pitch. After a strikeout, Miller issued a six-pitch walk and then a bunt single caught the Padres off-guard, putting two runners on and bringing Devers up again. But Miller couldn't get Devers to bite any of the three sliders he threw before walking him on five pitches to load the bases. Rookie slugger Bryce Eldridge was next and Miller fell behind 2-0 before coming back with three straight sliders, then punching out Eldridge when he dotted a 102.8 mph four-seamer at the bottom outside corner of the zone. Game 2: Similar song, different day. While the Padres' offense again put up a good day, there were glitches on the pitching side that made this one closer than it needed to be. It wasn't Michael King's fault as the right-hander turned in his seventh straight quality start despite yielding a pair of homers, while Merrill and Tatis went deep again as the Padres pulled out a 7-6 victory, their sixth in a row. With the D'backs losing to the Texas Rangers, the Padres finally have their biggest lead while holding the final NL wild-card position. They are 1½ up on the D'backs while now also trailing the Phillies by that same margin for the No. 2 spot. However, the Padres lose the tiebreaker to the Phillies, so would need to surpass them. The dynamic duo of Morejon and Miller were needed again to come up big, which they did. After King turned in a good seven innings, allowing three runs and the two long balls, Rodriguez came in and had his worst outing of the season. The 22-year-old rookie gave up two homers himself and three runs without recording an out in the eighth that reduced the Friars' lead to 7-6. Morejon sprung into action to face the Giants' two best power hitters in Devers, who had homered earlier, and Eldridge. The left-hander won the battle, striking out both sluggers, then getting a tapper back to the mound. Miller took care of the ninth, striking out two of the three batters he faced for his 36th save. After Devers took King deep for a two-run shot in the first, Harris, inserted into the No. 2 spot in the lineup for the first time, continued to be a surprising contributor when he followed two singles and a walk by grounding a single through the hole to left to tie it 2-2. King gave up his second homer in the bottom of the second before the Padres' offense used the slow-drip method to take control of the game. They scored single runs in each of the next five innings as Merrill hit his 25th homer, Harris a sacrifice fly, Jake Cronenworth an RBI single, Tatis his 21st homer and Tatis again when he reached on an error in the seventh to make it 7-3. After Rodriguez's blowup, the overworked but still effective Morejon and Miller came to the rescue once again. Morejon has pitched in six of the last seven games and Miller five of those seven (there was a team day off in there). Game 3: Facing a second last-place team of the week, the Padres did what they should have done and swept both. Although neither was a walk in the park, the Padres now find themselves in their best postseason position of the season entering the final 13 games. Pivetta made his second start and still wasn't sharp, while Machado homered, Tatis had three hits and two RBIs and 20-year-old Ethan Salas notched his first MLB hit as the Friars made due without their top bullpen arms in a 6-4 victory over the Giants. After back-to-back three-game sweeps extended their winning streak to seven games, the Padres are now 2½ games clear of the D'backs, who lost again, and just 1½ games behind the Phillies and Cubs for the No. 1 (and 2) NL wild-card spots. The Padres jumped on Giants ace right-hander Logan Webb for six runs over five innings, five of those runs coming in the first two innings. Merrill had a two-run double in the first, Tatis had an RBI single and Machado cracked his 27th homer, a two-run shot, in the second. Salas finally secured his first MLB hit in the fourth inning. It was a long fly ball that caromed off the tall wall in right field at Oracle Park and he displayed his speed, sliding into third base with a triple. It was his first hit after an 0-for-15 start to his career. That more than offset the two-run homer Pivetta gave up in the bottom of the second. Pivetta made it through four innings, allowing five hits and no walks while punching out five. It was another positive step for Pivetta, who probably could have used another rehab start or two had the Padres not been in the thick of a heated postseason race. With the usual late bullpen arms unavailable, Stammen had to map out a different path to the finish. That involved Hart, Morgan and Peralta getting to the eighth inning, where Vasquez stepped into the setup role and overcame two walks to put up a clean inning. Who would close? Matsui took on that role, one he held in Japan. He allowed a two-out single in securing his first save of the season and second in his Padres career. Now, the Padres continue their seven-game road trip with four against the Colorado Rockies, another team they need to handle like they did the Nationals and Giants if they want to lock up their postseason berth and improve their seeding. Marvelous Mason Miller Some of the amazing stats for the Padres' closer: Season stats: 5-2, 1.14 ERA, 60 games, 36 saves (38 chances), 63⅓ IP, 31 H, 11 R, 8 ER, 23 BB, 117 K, .144 opponent average Thus far in September, has converted all four save opportunities. Of the 18 outs he has recorded, 13 have been via strikeouts. With his appearance Saturday, tied his career high for games in a season with 60, the same number he had last year between the A's and Padres. Random Stats The Padres officially passed the 3 million mark in attendance with the Labor Day matinee, the second team in MLB to do so (the Los Angeles Dodgers are the other). Monday also marked the 59th time in 73 home games they had a crowd of 40,000 or better. With the first of his two hits Tuesday vs. the Nationals, Manny Machado moved into second place in Padres history for career hits, passing Garry Templeton's 1,135. Of course, he has a ways to go to catch the legendary Tony Gwynn, who has 3,141. The temperature at first pitch Wednesday was 95, the hottest in Padres history. The previous high was 93 on Sept. 10, 2015, vs. the Colorado Rockies. Fernando Tatis Jr. had three hits Wednesday to surpass his previous career high for hits in a season. That game gave Tatis 161 hits, two more than he had in 2025. He had 148 in 2023, the year after he returned from a performance-enhancing drug suspension, and 135 in 2021, when he finished third in NL MVP voting. Tatis is also on track to play in a career high number of games. He had 155 last year and is at 147 following this weekend. Jackson Merrill hit his 25th homer of the year Saturday, making him the fourth player in Padres history to have 25 homers and 25 steals in a season. The others are Reggie Sanders (1999), Wil Myers (2016) and Tatis (2021, 2023, 2025). Michael King has 17 quality starts this season. The Padres have 34. At 20 years, 140 days, Ethan Salas is the youngest player to triple for their first MLB hit since a guy named Manny Machado (20 years, 34 days) did it Sept. 8, 2012. Transactions Monday: Activated RHP Nick Pivetta from the 60-day injured list. Monday: Optioned RHP Jhony Brito to El Paso Chihuahuas. Monday: Designated C Blake Hunt for assignment. Tuesday: Sent DH Miguel Andujar on a rehab assignment to Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Tuesday: Signed free agent RHP Trevor Gott to a minor-league contract and assigned him to Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Tuesday: Released C Blake Hunt. Friday: Placed 1B Ty France on the paternity list. Friday: Recalled IF Mason McCoy from Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Sunday: Sent RHP Jason Adam on a rehab assignment to Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Website Highlights Slight cracks are forming in Morejon's armor — Randy Holt Lineup reinforcements could soon be on their way for Padres — Steve Drumwright Campusano's defensive growth goes beyond his arm — Randy Holt Pivetta's triumphant return cause for celebration (and a little skepticism) — Steve Drumwright Merrill is slumping again, but his numbers are lying to Padres — Sam Caulder Padres' remaining schedule should set up a thrilling finish — Sam Caulder Looking Ahead Monday: Padres (Casey Mize) at Rockies (Tomoyuki Sugano), 5:40 p.m. Tuesday: Padres (Walker Buehler) at Rockies (TBA), 5:40 p.m. Wednesday: Padres (Robbie Ray) at Rockies (Mason Adams), 5:40 p.m. Thursday: Padres (Michael King) at Rockies (Tanner Gordon), 1:10 p.m. Friday: Marlins (Nick Pivetta) at Padres, 6:40 p.m Saturday: Marlins (Casey Mize) at Padres, 5:40 p.m Sunday: Marlins (Walker Buehler) at Padres, 1:10 p.m View full article