The Padres are heading into a series that feels like a measuring stick and a pressure point at the same time.
San Diego has been playing better baseball lately, but the gap keeps growing in the wrong places. The Dodgers just took two of three from the Padres, and the loss that really stung came in the finale, a 4-2 defeat that left Michael King with a short outing and San Diego with another missed chance. Now the Padres turn right around and face the Chicago Cubs, who sit in the second NL wild card spot and are two games ahead of them entering play today.
King never settled in against Los Angeles. He was out after 4.1 innings, charged with four runs on three hits and four walks while striking out five.
The Dodgers got started with an RBI single from Shohei Ohtani in the third, then Manny Machado answered in the fourth with his 15th home run of the season to tie it. Machado has been better during this improved stretch for San Diego, but the source of the story makes clear he still isn’t where he or the club wants him to be.
The game slipped away in the fifth. Los Angeles put up three runs on a walk and a two-run single, and that was the end of King’s night. Xander Bogaerts tried to keep things moving with an RBI single in the sixth, but the Padres never produced enough offense to force the issue.
Emmet Sheehan did his part for the Dodgers, working five innings and allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out five.
Now San Diego gets another big test, and this one comes against a Cubs team with a lefty on the mound in Shota Imanaga. He’s 5-6 with a 4.40 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 88 strikeouts to 23 walks across 16 starts, covering 92 innings. The numbers also show 20 home runs allowed, and with the wind expected to blow out at Wrigley Field, the Padres should have a chance to attack him.
Imanaga’s most recent outing came against the New York Mets, when he gave up four runs - including three homers - on four hits and one walk while striking out four over 5.1 innings.
San Diego’s own pitching situation is less settled. Griffin Canning is due for the ball, but he has struggled badly after a strong first start, putting together a 1-5 record with a 7.38 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and 43 strikeouts against 26 walks in 10 games, eight of them starts, over 42.2 innings.
There’s also some uncertainty around German Marquez. He was supposed to start for Triple-A El Paso on Sunday, but never pitched, and there have been rumblings that he could be recalled. Nothing has been announced yet.
In Other News...
Padres Are Trusting Jake Cronenworth Again In A Spot Fans Fear
Jake Cronenworth is back on the active roster after a short rehab assignment, and the Padres are clearly leaning on the familiarity and steadying influence he has brought them before. San Diego activated the veteran infielder on June 29 while also recalling Bradgley Rodriguez, part of a flurry of moves that signaled a roster trying to balance immediate needs with longer-term health and depth.
Cronenworth did show some positive signs in rehab, and the Padres are banking on that momentum carrying over as he re-enters a lineup that has needed more reliable production from the infield. The corresponding shuffle sent Will Wagner back to Triple-A El Paso for continued development, while David Morgan landed on the 15-day injured list with left knee inflammation, leaving San Diego to sort through both the present and the next wave of options. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Bring Back A Veteran Bat As Bench Frustration Grows
Nick Solak is back in the Padres organization after a brief trip onto the free agent market, giving San Diego another experienced name to lean on as it tries to shore up its bench. The 31-year-old was outrighted by the club, but his return keeps a right-handed bat in the system that the Padres believe can provide useful depth if they need help at the big league level.
Solaks case has been built more on what he did in Triple-A than on any extended major league run. He hit .333 with a .412 on-base percentage, nine home runs, 40 RBIs and a .924 OPS there, production that at least gives San Diego something to point to if it keeps searching for steadier bench answers. The remaining question is how much of that form can actually translate into meaningful opportunities in a crowded Padres mix. [Read more 🡒]
Craig Stammen Just Drew A Line For Padres Starters
The Padres have spent too many recent nights asking the bullpen to clean up after the rotation, with starters not lasting long enough to keep games from tilting early. Craig Stammen didnt dress it up, either, acknowledging the need for the group to pitch deeper and at least leaving open the possibility that the club could keep leaning on creative fixes while it waits for healthier arms to rejoin the mix.
There is still a path to relief in the second half, with several starters expected back from injury and the front office likely to look for help before the trade deadline. Until then, the pressure on the current group is obvious: San Diego needs more stability from the front of games, because the alternatives can only patch over so much. [Read more 🡒]