The Padres left Sunday with a 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays and a 48-48 record, but the day also carried plenty of side stories around the organization.
On the field, San Diego dug out of an early hole and finished strong. The Padres opened the scoring with a three-run second inning, getting an RBI single from Jake Cronenworth, a bases-loaded walk to Sung-Mun Song and a balk drawn by Ty France with the bags full.
Then, after falling behind 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth, the lineup answered again. Manny Machado delivered an RBI single, and France followed with a sacrifice fly to push the Padres back in front for good.
Before that win was in the books, San Diego added an outfielder on a minor league deal. The veteran, who has also spent time with the Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers, just turned 27 and has posted a 13.8% swing-and-miss percentage in the majors.
There was also a little swagger from the Padres’ first-round draft pick, Coleman Borthwick, who wasted no time aiming at the Dodgers during his introductory press conference.
“I’ve dreamed for this since I was a kid,” Borthwick said of being drafted. “I’m ready to play some baseball, especially over there in California.
I’m ready to go beat the Dodgers. That’s my main goal.
Whenever I heard San Diego, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s the team to beat the Dodgers.’”
And then there’s the bigger-picture conversation hanging over San Diego as the trade deadline approaches. President of baseball operations AJ Preller made clear the Padres are not locking themselves into one path.
“We’re going to go into the process open-minded to see what’s there and see what can help our club,” Preller said to reporters on Saturday. “We’re going to go in open-minded about whether it’s acquiring players or looking at it if we have to go another direction. All those things are on the table.”
That leaves a major question mark around Mason Miller, the hard-throwing right-hander the Padres acquired just one year ago. Miller has been dominant, putting up a 0.91 ERA while averaging 101.3 mph on his fastball, and he could bring back a massive return if San Diego decides to deal him.
The rest of the latest Padres news also includes Joe Musgrove’s latest update amid a lengthy IL stint, Craig Stammen discussing the biggest adjustment in his first year as a manager at any level, and the club’s draft activity, including a selection of catcher Mark Quatrani in the 18th round.
In Other News...
Nick Pivetta's Injury Could Create A Bigger Padres Problem Than Expected
The Padres rotation has been thin all season, and the latest concern around Nick Pivetta only adds to the pressure on a staff that has already spent time without Randy Vsquez and Joe Musgrove. Pivettas absence has lingered long enough to matter on the field, and his recent bullpen work at least suggests he is moving in the right direction as San Diego tries to stabilize a starting group that has been patched together for much of the year.
Still, the timing around his return is carrying more weight than a typical rehab update. Pivetta is working back from a strained flexor tendon in his forearm, and the longer he stays on the injured list, the more complicated the situation becomes for the Padres. A late-August return is still in play, but any setback could push that back and leave the club waiting on a pitcher whose recovery now has both baseball and roster implications. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Draft Pick Just Won Over Fans With One Dodgers Shot
The Padres latest draft addition is already giving fans a glimpse of the edge that can play in San Diego. Right-hander Coleman Borthwick, taken out of South Walton High School in Florida, arrived with the kind of rsum that turns heads on its own after a senior season built on command, swing-and-miss stuff and an award-winning finish at the top of the prep game in his state.
What made the first impression even better was the tone he brought to his opening press conference, where his excitement about joining the Padres and taking on the Dodgers came through loud and clear. For a fan base that lives and breathes the rivalry, that kind of confidence goes a long way, and it adds another layer to a prospect whose development will now be watched closely as he begins the next step of his career. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Rotation Looks More Dangerous Than Fans Realize Without Michael King
The Padres have spent much of the season leaning on a bullpen that has held up far better than the rotation in front of it, but the starting group has quietly become one of the clubs biggest concerns. San Diegos starters have struggled to work deep into games and rank near the bottom of the league in several key categories, a reminder that the teams margin for error is thinner than it looks when the relief corps keeps bailing things out.
Michael King has been the one starter who has consistently given the Padres something close to stability, and that is exactly why his name figures to surface in deadline conversations. Moving him would not just subtract an arm, it would take away the rotations most reliable presence at a time when the rest of the group has not done enough to make up for it. [Read more 🡒]