The Padres keep finding new ways to survive.
On the eve of the trade deadline, San Diego pushed past the Giants, 6-5, on Jake Cronenworth’s walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth. The win was the Padres’ seventh in their last eight games and left them just a game out in the wild card race.
This one had all the back-and-forth chaos you’d expect from a team clinging to momentum. San Diego jumped first with two runs in the opening inning, both coming home on a Jackson Merrill RBI double off Giants starter Tyler Mahle.
But the Giants answered in the third against Walker Buehler. Osleivis Basabe got them going with a two-run homer, then Willy Adames drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in another run and flip the game to 3-2.
The Padres responded right away. Freddy Fermin put them back in front with a two-run homer in the fourth, then added another RBI single in the sixth to stretch the lead to 5-3.
That cushion didn’t hold. The eighth inning turned ugly for San Diego after the Giants loaded the bases against Jeremiah Estrada.
Manager Craig Stammen went to Mason Miller with one out, and the closer got a strikeout, but Basabe came through again. He hammered a 103-mph Miller fastball to the wall in left, clearing the bases and tying it at 5-5.
San Diego answered in the ninth. Xander Bogaerts doubled, Fermin moved him over with a sacrifice, and Cronenworth delivered the game-winner three batters later.
Miller ended up with the vulture win after throwing a scoreless ninth, even though he blew his first save of the season. Dylan Smith took the loss for San Francisco after surrendering the winning run.
Buehler’s night was short, lasting just 4-1/3 innings, and the Padres had to lean on three relievers before handing the ball to their closer. Still, the ninth-inning rescue act came through again for a club that keeps leaning into late-game drama.
San Diego will go for three out of four in the series finale, with Michael King set to start against Landen Roupp for the Giants.
In Other News...
Padres Deadline Rumors Hint At One Real Need And One Huge Swing
The Padres deadline search is already starting to look like a two-track operation, with A.J. Preller reportedly weighing both a rotation upgrade and a much bigger offensive swing. Joel Shermans reporting linked San Diego to Mets right-hander Kodai Senga, a name that makes sense if the club decides the pitching market is where it can do the most practical business, especially with New York in a sellers position.
There is also a far more ambitious idea in the mix, one that would take a lot more maneuvering to pull off. Sherman reported Preller has at least considered Rafael Devers as a target, but the combination of Devers contract and the awkwardness of dealing with a division rival makes that path look far less straightforward than the pitching pursuit, which is why the deadline could end up revealing whether the Padres want a fix or a headline. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Bullpen Plans
With the playoff chase tightening and injuries forcing the rotation to lean on the relief corps, the Padres are making it clear they are not looking to weaken the bullpen for help elsewhere. Adrian Morejon has become an important part of that group, and San Diegos decision to hold onto him says plenty about how it views its late-season formula.
The Yankees reportedly had interest in prying Morejon away in a deal for Will Warren, a controllable starter, but the Padres passed. For a club trying to stay in position for October, that kind of move would have tested whether immediate bullpen stability matters more than longer-term rotation depth, and San Diego has chosen the former for now. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Face A Trade Deadline Call On One Bullpen Arm
The Padres already had one of the busier buzz cycles around the bullpen market, and Adrian Morejon has become a name worth watching as the trade deadline approaches. San Diego and the Yankees reportedly explored a deal that would have brought right-hander Will Warren to the Padres, a reflection of how clubs are weighing pitching depth against bigger roster needs as the deadline clock keeps ticking.
Nothing has been finalized, and the two sides are still free to keep talking before the deadline. Even so, the fact that Morejon is at the center of the discussion adds a layer of intrigue for San Diego, where every bullpen decision feels tied to the bigger question of how aggressive the front office wants to be in reshaping the roster for the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]