The Padres got exactly what they needed against the Yankees: a series win, and a reminder that they can still string together the kind of night that looks comfortable until it suddenly isn’t.
San Diego jumped all over Gerrit Cole early, with Fernando Taitis Jr., Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado going back-to-back-to back for a 3-0 lead. That burst set the tone and gave the Padres a cushion before the pitching staff took over.
Michael King handled his part cleanly. He worked six innings, held New York scoreless, allowed four hits and three walks, and struck out three. Bradgley Rodriguez followed with a scoreless seventh, and then Luis Campusano added another solo shot after being Friday’s hero to push the Padres ahead 4-0.
At that point, it looked like San Diego was headed for a stress-free finish. Instead, the Yankees made it interesting in a hurry.
Adrian Morejon ran into trouble after a single from Cody Bellinger and a walk to Paul Goldschmidt, and the inning kept snowballing from there. Spencer Jones delivered an RBI double, Amed Rosario followed with an infield hit that drove in another run, and a Morejon throwing error brought home a third.
Jasson Dominguez then lined to center for the final out, leaving the Padres clinging to a 4-3 lead.
Mason Miller finished the job in his usual high-octane style. He did issue a two-out walk to Austin Wells, but he struck out the side to lock down his 33rd save of the season.
The win mattered beyond just taking the rubber game. It gave San Diego a needed series victory after the rough road trip to Tampa Bay and Cincinnati, and it came at the right time with the Arizona Diamondback beating the Houston Astros 3-2. The Padres stayed a game out in the wild-card spot as the back-and-forth with Arizona continues.
In Other News...
Padres Are Already Feeling Ethan Salas Impact In One Tough Spot
The Padres kept reshaping their catching picture this week, designating Blake Hunt for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot after activating Nick Pivetta from the 60-day injured list. It was a harsh reminder of how crowded that part of the roster has become, even for a player like Hunt, who has posted strong minor league numbers and looked like the kind of depth piece a club would want to keep around.
Ethan Salas is a big reason the squeeze has gotten tighter. His rapid climb through the system and into the majors has changed the way San Diego has to think about the position, pushing the organization to juggle its catching depth chart in real time. For Hunt, the issue was never just performance, it was timing and traffic, with multiple catchers already in the way of any clear path forward. [Read more 🡒]
Former Astros Pitching Bets Just Took Another Rough Turn
The Padres latest round of roster churn included a pair of familiar names with some upside but little recent traction. J.P. France and Jos Leclerc, both right-handed pitchers on minor league contracts, have been released after each spent time trying to work their way back into form in the organization. France had logged 10 2/3 innings for San Diegos Triple-A club, while Leclerc moved through four minor league levels as the Padres continued to sort through depth options on the pitching side.
For both pitchers, the next step appears to be free agency again, which keeps the door open for another club willing to take a look. It is the kind of turn that comes with this stage of the season for fringe arms: a chance to reset, find a better fit, and hope the next stop offers a cleaner path back to the majors. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Add Veteran Arm As Bullpen Depth Questions Keep Growing
The Padres added another experienced arm to their pitching mix this week, signing Trevor Gott to a minor league contract and assigning him to Triple-A El Paso. Gott brings big league time from stops with the Mariners and Mets, and he was most recently in the Nationals organization, making him a familiar sort of depth piece for a club that has spent much of the season shuffling through relief options.
San Diegos need for reinforcements showed up again with the roster moves that opened the door for Gott, as the club released right-handers J.P. France and Jos Leclerc. Whether Gott can work his way back into the picture from El Paso is the next question, but for now he joins a bullpen pipeline that keeps changing as the Padres look for dependable innings. [Read more 🡒]