The San Diego Padres’ road trip opened with a thud Tuesday night, and the Tampa Bay Rays made sure it stayed that way. Tampa Bay seized control with a five-run fifth inning off Casey Mize and rolled to a 9-4 win after building a cushion San Diego never could fully threaten.
Yandy Diaz put the Rays on the board first in the third, driving an opposite-field solo homer off Mize for a 1-0 lead. Things unraveled in a hurry in the next inning.
The fifth began with Mize hitting Junior Caminero with a pitch. Chandler Simpson then reached on a fielder’s choice on a ball fielded by Mize, and the ensuing throwing error let the inning spiral.
Caminero advanced to third, Simpson swiped second, and Cedric Mullens followed with a grounder to first that brought home the second run. Simpson later scored on a wild pitch, Jorge Mateo added a sacrifice fly, and singles from Taylor Walls and Diaz pushed the Rays’ lead to 6-0.
San Diego answered with two runs against Shane McClanahan, but the inning could have been much bigger. The Padres loaded the bases with nobody out and settled for forceouts from Freddy Fermin and Jake Cronenworth, trimming the deficit to 6-2 instead of making it a real rally.
Tampa Bay responded immediately. Jonny DeLuca delivered an RBI single to make it 7-2, and Ty France answered for San Diego with a home run that cut it to 7-4.
That was as close as the Padres got. The Rays tacked on another run in the sixth on a Caminero RBI single, then Mullins capped the scoring with a solo homer in the seventh to make it 9-4.
From there, Tampa Bay’s bullpen handled the rest. Manuel Rodriguez, Kevin Kelly and Steven Matz worked the late innings to close it out.
The Padres now wait on the late results from the Left Coast to see whether the loss impacts them in the wild card standings. They’ll try to get even in the series Wednesday afternoon, with Walker Buehler set to face Nick Martinez.
In Other News...
Padres Suddenly Face A Bigger Concern With Luis Rengifo
The Padres were already dealing with the usual late-season grind when Luis Rengifos night took a sudden turn in the seventh inning against the Rays. The utility man went down without contact, stayed on the field for several minutes in obvious pain and ultimately had to be carted off after being unable to put weight on his right leg, a scary scene for a player who has carved out a meaningful role since joining San Diego after starting the season with Milwaukee.
Rengifo had become a useful piece for the Padres in 38 games, giving the club flexibility and production in a spot where depth always matters. Now the bigger concern is less about the box score from one game and more about how long San Diego might have to go without him, with the team waiting on a much clearer picture of what the lower-leg injury means. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Have A Samad Taylor Decision They Cant Dodge
Samad Taylors quick rise in San Diego has turned into one of the quieter roster questions on the Padres radar. Signed to a minor-league deal in January, he earned a call to the majors on June 3 and made a real impression before a right oblique strain knocked him out on July 8. In 26 games, Taylor hit .330/.410/.398 and chipped in six stolen bases, the kind of production that can change how a club thinks about its bench and lineup depth.
He is back on a rehab assignment now, and the early results have only complicated the decision the Padres are going to have to make. Taylor has been productive in seven Triple-A games, slashing .304/.407/.478, and that performance is likely to keep pressure on the club to find him a meaningful role once he is fully ready. The issue is not whether he has earned attention. It is how San Diego fits him in when he returns. [Read more 🡒]
Ethan Salas Is Making A Padres Decision Much Harder Than Expected
Ethan Salas has made a quick impression since his late-July move to Triple-A, turning what looked like a developmental step into a legitimate late-season question for the Padres. The top prospect has hit .325 with three home runs and 25 RBIs over 22 games, giving the organization a compelling reason to keep watching him closely as the major league roster tries to sort itself out for the stretch run.
Manager Craig Stammen has already acknowledged Salas is capable of handling the majors, but ability is only part of the decision now. San Diego has to weigh his readiness against the ripple effects of a promotion, and the club is also factoring in how a potential lockout could affect roster moves and player contact, which only adds another layer to a call that has gotten a lot more complicated than it seemed a month ago. [Read more 🡒]