The Padres couldn’t keep the run going last night, and now they’re staring at a game that matters plenty in the standings. After their eight-game winning streak ended, San Diego is back on the field tonight looking to take the third game of its four-game set with the Colorado Rockies.
That loss didn’t just break the streak. It also cost the Padres a chance to climb in the wild card race and pull even with the Philadelphia Phillies for the second wild card spot.
The Washington Nationals helped create that opening by beating the Phillies, while the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks also lost. Even so, Arizona’s defeat at least left San Diego still holding a 2.5-game edge as the Padres try to hang onto the third wild card.
Now the focus shifts to Robbie Ray, who gets the ball in what feels like a must-stabilize start for San Diego. Ray looked sharp right after the Padres brought him in from the San Francisco Giants at the deadline, but his last two outings have gone sideways.
Against his former club last Friday, he allowed five runs in five innings. The Padres survived that one anyway, winning 7-5. The start before that was worse for both Ray and San Diego, with the left-hander giving up five runs against the New York Yankees in a Padres loss.
The number that stands out with Ray is the walks. He issued four in each of those last two starts, and that’s been the danger zone for him all year.
Ray has been near the top of the league in walks throughout the season, but before those two outings he had been keeping that number at three or fewer, and the results reflected it. In his three starts before this recent slide, he allowed a combined four runs.
Colorado will counter with Mason Adams, who has quietly been dealing lately. He’s held opponents to three runs or fewer in each of his last four starts, and two of those ended in Rockies wins. The Rockies got him from the Chicago White Sox at the deadline in the trade that sent Brenton Doyle to the Pale Hose, and they’re hoping he develops into a real piece for them.
In Other News...
Padres Suddenly Have A Postseason Decision Fans Did Not Expect
The Padres weekend took a sharper turn than anyone expected when a 9-3 loss to Colorado nudged their wild-card position and put a little more pressure on every remaining roster call. On top of the scoreboard setback, the organization also parted ways with eight players, a group that included seven pitchers and a shortstop from the Dominican Summer League, underscoring how much housekeeping can happen even as the focus shifts toward October.
Craig Stammen also added another layer to the late-season picture by saying rookie catcher Ethan Salas may get postseason playing time, a possibility that would have seemed unlikely not long ago. Mason Miller, meanwhile, offered an injury update after getting hit by a 101-mph ground ball, leaving the Padres with a few health and depth questions to sort through as the bracket picture and roster decisions continue to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Loss Revived A Frustrating Question Fans Know Too Well
The Padres looked like they were in decent shape early in Denver, getting home runs from Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Campusano to grab the kind of start that usually travels well. But the Rockies flipped the game in a hurry, and a five-run sixth inning changed everything on the way to a 9-3 Colorado win that snapped San Diegos winning streak.
Craig Stammen did not try to spin the result, even while pointing to the teams recent run of play as a reason for perspective. Still, losses like this tend to drag an old question back into the conversation for Padres fans, especially when an early lead disappears in a place where the game can unravel fast and leave everyone wondering what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Suddenly Have A Real October Rotation Decision
Walker Buehlers latest turn against the Rockies offered another reminder that the Padres are getting closer to having too many playoff-caliber arms for too few October spots. He worked 4 2/3 innings, gave up two runs on seven hits, walked one and struck out one while needing 92 pitches, a outing that was serviceable but not especially efficient as San Diego continues sorting out how it wants to line up its rotation for the stretch run.
Nick Pivettas return from injury has only sharpened the conversation. He has put together two strong starts, kept the walks off the board and limited damage, which gives the Padres another legitimate option at a time when postseason rotation choices also have to account for bullpen management. With both pitchers making cases in different ways, San Diego suddenly has to decide not just who starts in October, but how much it wants to value recent form versus the broader shape of its pitching staff. [Read more 🡒]