The Padres gave Milwaukee a beatdown Tuesday night, rolling to an 11-2 win that pushed San Diego to 64-57 and kept the offense humming from the second inning on.
Jake Cronenworth got the scoring started with a double that drove in the first run, and the inning quickly turned into a mess for the Brewers. Fernando Tatis Jr. worked an eight-pitch walk, an ABS challenge helped load the bases, and Luis Rengifo unloaded the first grand slam of his eight-year career against the club that let him go in June.
San Diego never let up. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Campusano both went deep, while Walker Buehler handled the heavy lifting on the mound with six innings of one-run ball to pick up the win.
While the game itself was lopsided, there’s plenty going on around the roster as well. The Padres recently released an infielder who had spent three years in the organization. The 31-year-old was batting .254 with five home runs in 42 Triple-A games this season.
There’s also growing buzz around Ethan Salas. According to team insider Dennis Lin of The Athletic via 97.3 The Fan's Ben and Woods, the Padres are considering a late-season call-up for the top prospect.
"One hundred percent, I see them considering it" Lin said of promoting Salas. "I don't know about it being a lock, but I think there is a very good chance he'll be up in September, and even maybe before then, because let's remember, if you want to have a player eligible for the playoffs, they need to be on the 40-man before September.
"So I think they are looking at it; he's only one call away, or one step away from the majors. They promoted him just a couple weeks ago, and not surprisingly, his offensive stats have instantly ticked up."
Salas is hitting .333 in his first nine games at Triple-A and is still only 20. Before that promotion, he hit .286/.361/.417 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs in 72 games at Double-A San Antonio.
Nick Pivetta’s future also looks murky. The right-hander has spent time on the injured list after making only four starts to open the season, and a setback in his rehab means he will almost certainly remain out beyond Aug. 22.
That date matters because it would trigger a clause in his contract that changes his player option into a team option. If San Diego decides to move on, it could mean walking away from the final $32 million of his deal over the next two years.
In Other News...
Joe Musgrove Just Made His Padres Return Urgency Clear
The Padres made their deadline intentions plain by adding Casey Mize and Robbie Ray to shore up a rotation that needed more depth for the stretch run. For Joe Musgrove, who is still rehabbing from injury, the moves may have offered a little breathing room in the moment, but they did not change the bigger picture: he still sees his return as something that needs to happen soon, and his own timetable remains tied to helping San Diego in a meaningful way down the stretch.
Musgrove has made it clear he wants enough time on the mound to build back into a real rhythm before October arrives. The additions gave the club some immediate help and, in his mind, a touch of mental relief, but they also underscored why his presence still matters. San Diego can survive with more options now, yet the veteran right-hander is focused on giving the Padres the kind of innings that make a postseason push feel complete. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Are One Vote Away From A Franchise Defining Change
The Padres are on the verge of a major ownership shift, with Major League Baseballs other 29 owners set to weigh in on a sale that would reshape the clubs future. The move comes at a time when the team has shown on-field progress and continued to spend more aggressively on payroll, making the timing of the transition feel especially significant for a franchise trying to sustain its rise.
Approval from 22 owners is needed to clear the deal, and the change would place Jos E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones at the center of the Padres next chapter. Feliciano is expected to control a stake above 40 percent, and with the vote approaching, the only real question is whether the final step in this franchise-defining change will arrive without any unexpected resistance. [Read more 🡒]
Padres May Be Near A Catcher Decision That Changes Everything
The Padres are in a familiar position for a contending club in August, weighing present needs against a longer-term bet that could reshape the roster behind the plate. Ethan Salas, the organizations top catching prospect, has kept moving through Double-A and Triple-A this season with enough offensive production to keep the conversation alive, and his name is now sitting squarely in the middle of San Diegos plans at a position where the big league club already carries three catchers.
What makes this situation more than a routine prospect watch is how quickly it could turn from internal debate to roster move. Salas has long been viewed as the future at catcher, and the Padres have an incentive to get him lined up for potential postseason use if they decide the timing is right. The question now is less about whether he belongs in the organizations long-range picture and more about how soon the Padres are willing to make room for him. [Read more 🡒]