The Padres have put themselves in position for a sweep, and Walker Buehler gives them a strong chance to finish it off.
San Diego is looking for its third straight win over Minnesota today, and the setup has been working in the Padres’ favor all series. Buehler has been sharp lately, allowing only four runs across his last three starts. That stretch includes a hard-luck outing against the New York Mets rookie Nolan McLean, when Buehler matched him pitch for pitch in a 2-1 loss, as well as six strong innings against the Milwaukee Brewers in a game San Diego won while completing a sweep.
The Padres would love a long outing from Buehler, even if that hasn’t always been his calling card. He has been reaching six innings with some regularity, though, and that kind of length would be a big boost today.
Bailey Ober gets the ball for Minnesota, and while his 4.62 ERA jumps off the page, the Twins have still managed to win four of his last five starts. The bigger issue for Minnesota is how uneven things have been overall. The Twins were swept by the Philadelphia Phillies, then turned around and swept the Atlanta Braves, and now they’re trying to avoid being swept again in San Diego.
The Padres’ bats have done plenty of damage already. They’ve put 13 runs on the board over the first two games, and last night they kept pressing after starter Casey Mize had a rough one and exited in the third inning after tripping over the dugout steps.
San Diego’s lineup has been rolling in bunches, and Jackson Merrill is right in the middle of it again. He hit his 20th home run last night and added a key RBI single. The night before, Ty France delivered in a similar way, another sign that the Padres are getting production from all over the order.
There’s also a bullpen wrinkle for San Diego. The Padres had to lean on Kyle Hart and Griffin Canning to finish things off after Mize’s early exit, and Canning won’t be available today after throwing 3-1/3 shutout innings last night. If Buehler runs into trouble, someone else will have to step in.
The Padres are also keeping one eye on the standings. They haven’t been able to cut into the Philadelphia Phillies’ lead, with Philadelphia winning eight straight games and moving closer to the Braves in the NL East, but San Diego has opened up a two-game cushion over the Arizona Diamondbacks as it works to separate itself in the race for the third wild-card spot.
In Other News...
Manny Machados Familiar Slump Is Becoming A Padres September Problem
Manny Machados August has looked a lot like a player searching for the right gear at the wrong time. The Padres third baseman has gone through long stretches of quiet at the plate, with his production leaning heavily toward singles and far less of the extra-base damage San Diego usually counts on from him. On some nights he has looked locked in, but the overall pattern has been inconsistency at a moment when the lineup can least afford it.
San Diego enters September with a narrow grip on the NL Wild Card race, and Machados bat sits right at the center of that tension. The Padres do not need him to carry the entire offense, but they do need more than brief flashes if they want to protect their position down the stretch. A familiar slump has a way of feeling bigger in the final month, and for a team trying to stay ahead in a crowded race, every quiet series from one of its biggest hitters tightens the pressure. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Still Face A Real Sung-Mun Song Question
Sung-Mun Song has given the Padres a little bit of everything since arriving, just not much at the plate. In 62 games, he has shown the kind of plate discipline and defensive versatility that keeps a player in the mix, while also flashing above-average fielding and baserunning that make him useful in more than one spot. For a team that has spent plenty of time patching together its roster, that sort of flexibility still carries value.
The larger question is whether there is enough offensive growth left for Song to become more than a limited role player in San Diego. His power and contact quality have lagged, even after injuries and time in the minors complicated his path, but his track record in the KBO offers at least a reason to think there may be another gear somewhere in there. The Padres do not need him to be a star, but they do need to know whether the upside is real or whether his current profile is close to the final product. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Pulled Off A Gritty Comeback After An Early Scare
The Padres had to work through an awkward early turn Tuesday, falling behind 5-1 before settling in and putting together a 7-5 comeback against the Twins. San Diegos offense did enough to erase the deficit, while the pitching side was forced to adjust after an early exit in the opposing dugout changed the shape of the game.
Minnesota starter Casey Mize was hurt when he slipped on the dugout steps and sprained his ankle, though imaging came back negative and he is day-to-day. From there, the Padres took advantage of the opening, with Griffin Canning handling the middle innings to steady things before Mason Miller finished the job for his 32nd save, another reminder that San Diego can survive a rough start when the game stays within reach. [Read more 🡒]