The Padres head into the series finale in Tampa trying to stop the bleeding, and they’ll lean on Robbie Ray to do it.
San Diego has dropped the first two games to the Rays, and the offense on the other side has looked relentless. Tampa Bay has piled up 16 runs across the first two matchups, knocking around both Casey Mize and Walker Buehler while also punishing a bullpen that’s described as one of the best in baseball. If the Padres are going to avoid a sweep, Ray will have to be the first San Diego starter in the series to deliver a clean answer.
That won’t be simple. The Padres have been loose defensively in this series, and Ray will need sharper support behind him if he’s going to get the job done. He’s already had one outing in which the result didn’t match the work, allowing just two runs in 5-1/3 innings against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game San Diego still lost, 3-2 in twelve innings.
The stakes have also started to shift in the standings. San Diego came to Tampa with a chance to widen its edge over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the race for the third wild-card spot, and even with an eye on catching the Philadelphia Phillies for the second spot. That second pursuit is off the table for now, and the Padres are tied with Arizona for that third position, though they hold a half-game edge in the loss column.
The fine print matters less today than it will in another week or two if San Diego can’t turn things around.
Tampa Bay won’t make it any easier. Drew Rasmussen gets the ball for the Rays, and his numbers speak for themselves: 14-5 with a 2.95 ERA.
On paper, this shapes up as a difficult ask for the Padres, even before you factor in that Rasmussen can work deep into games and lock down innings. He did stumble recently against the Toronto Blue Jays, giving up five runs in five innings, but he still gives Tampa a strong chance to finish the sweep.
In Other News...
Padres Just Lost Their Place In MLB Ownership History
For a stretch, the Padres could point to their place in the state rivalry and the broader business of baseball as one of the more notable franchises in Southern California. Now the record book has shifted again, with the Angels set to be sold to Stan Kroenkes Kroenke Sports & Entertainment for $4 billion, a valuation that resets the high-water mark for an MLB franchise sale. The deal, expected to close in 2027, adds another major piece to Kroenkes growing sports portfolio.
For San Diego, the headline is less about the Angels than the changing economics around the sport. The Padres have spent recent years navigating an increasingly competitive landscape in which ownership clout matters almost as much as payroll, and a new benchmark this large only underlines how much the industry has changed. Kroenke already controls several pro teams across different leagues, and this latest move only deepens the sense that baseballs power structure is becoming even more concentrated. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Suddenly Have 2 Surprise Award Cases In The Stretch Run
The late-season stretch has given the Padres something they did not necessarily have circled back in spring: a pair of award cases that are starting to gain real traction. MLB insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic projects Mason Miller to take home the National League Relief Pitcher of the Year Award, pointing to a dominant run in the back end of San Diegos bullpen. Miller has paired a 1.26 ERA across 55 appearances with 32 saves, production that has made him one of the defining arms in the leagues final months.
There is also a quieter but potentially bigger storyline around Craig Stammen, who is in his first year managing the Padres and has helped steer the club into playoff position. Bowdens prediction has Stammen as the National League Manager of the Year, a nod to how the team has stayed in the race under his watch. Both projections still depend on San Diego finishing strong, which leaves the Padres with more than one reason to pay close attention to the final weeks. [Read more 🡒]
Fernando Tatis Jr. Is Suddenly Carrying The Padres When It Matters Most
Fernando Tatis Jr. has turned August into a reminder of why the Padres still view him as the face of their lineup. After an uneven first four months, he caught fire with nine home runs and a .901 OPS over 27 games, giving San Diego a much-needed lift as the calendar has tightened and the race has gotten more serious.
The timing could hardly be better for a club trying to hang onto a small lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the National Leagues third Wild Card spot. Tatis had only eight homers through the end of July, which made the turnaround even more important for a Padres offense that needed someone to take charge when the pressure started to build. [Read more 🡒]