The Padres solved one problem at the deadline, but the one that keeps biting them is looking a lot harder to fix.
San Diego’s rotation got a last-minute overhaul, and that move has helped keep the club’s hot streak alive. The starting pitching issue was easy to spot, and the Padres addressed it. What they haven’t escaped is the old version of themselves - the team that drifted through two months of flat baseball and still shows up at the worst times.
That version has been on display against the Pittsburgh Pirates this week.
The Padres are now facing the possibility of a series sweep by Pittsburgh, a club that is close to playing out the string. It would leave San Diego with a .500 homestand and turn into a missed chance to add to its slim wild-card lead and make up ground on the Philadelphia Phillies for the second spot.
The offense has gone ice cold against Pirate pitching in back-to-back games. San Diego has scored just three runs over its last 21 innings, and that includes three extra innings on Monday night when the Padres never brought home the ghost runner from second. The pattern has been familiar: hitters falling behind in counts, then handing away at-bats.
Jackson Merrill is a useful snapshot of the problem. He’s been quietly carrying the Padres offense lately with a power surge that has paired with the louder production from Fernando Tatis Jr., but Merrill has started chasing again. When that happens, the whole lineup tends to go with him.
And the timing could hardly be worse. Last night’s loss was doubly damaging because the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied past the Chicago Cubs, 5-4, costing the Padres another game in the standings. San Diego had a chance to create some separation and build on its lead, and in a race like this, those chances don’t come around often.
Now the Padres have a deceptively important game against Pittsburgh on getaway day, with another long East Coast trip waiting this weekend against the Tampa Bay Rays.
In Other News...
Yu Darvish Just Reopened A Big Padres Rotation Question
Yu Darvish is back on the mound in a limited way, moving into light bullpen sessions as he continues his recovery from internal brace surgery on his right elbow. It is a meaningful step for a Padres rotation that has spent plenty of time wondering what the future looks like around one of its most experienced starters, especially with Darvish still under contract for two more years.
Darvish has not promised a comeback this season, and the rehab process will ultimately decide the timing. Even so, the fact that his work is on schedule keeps next year in play and gives San Diego another important layer to follow as it sorts through the rotation picture. He has also pushed back on offseason retirement talk, saying his next move will depend on how the rehab unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Just Took A Bullpen Hit They Cant Afford Right Now
The Padres bullpen took another hit Monday when they put right-hander Jeremiah Estrada on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement, a move retroactive to Aug. 25. To fill the roster spot, San Diego recalled right-hander David Morgan from Triple-A El Paso, a reminder of how quickly relief depth can get tested this time of year.
Estrada has already been through a stop-start season, having missed time earlier with right elbow tendinitis and right knee inflammation, and the Padres still have not offered a timetable for when he might come back. For a club leaning hard on its pitching staff, losing another late-inning arm now only adds to the pressure on a bullpen that can least afford another extended absence. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Ownership Already Faces A Long Term Test Fans Will Feel
The Padres long-running push for immediate help at the big league level has left them with one of baseballs thinnest pipelines, and the consequences are still showing up in the farm-system rankings. San Diego has finished last in MLBs prospect evaluations for three straight cycles, with Ethan Salas as the lone player in the Top 100, a stark reminder of how often the club has moved premium young talent in exchange for established major league pieces.
New ownership has promised a more patient approach, especially when it comes to scouting and player development, and there is some optimism around the 2026 draft class. Still, the Padres are not exactly stepping away from their win-now identity, which leaves the front office trying to keep the big-league roster competitive while also repairing the long-term foundation underneath it. For fans, the real test may be whether those two goals can finally start to align. [Read more 🡒]