The Padres have put together a six-game heater, and tonight they get a chance to cap off a series sweep of the Giants while keeping their grip on a crowded NL wild card race.
San Diego already gained ground on the Arizona Diamondbacks after Arizona’s loss to the Texas Rangers yesterday, and the pressure is also creeping toward the Philadelphia Phillies. The Padres sit just a half game back of Philadelphia for the second wild card spot, which makes this stretch feel especially timely. Their schedule has softened with games against the Washington Nationals, the Giants and the Colorado Rockies, and this is the window for San Diego to make its move before the closing run that includes six games against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Dbacks.
Nick Pivetta gets the ball for the Padres, and his start comes with its own layer of intrigue. It will be just his second outing since returning from an elbow strain, and he still managed to work five innings last time out despite being on a tight pitch count.
Even with that encouraging sign, San Diego can’t assume a smooth night. The first two games of this series have followed the same script: the Padres jumped out to big leads, then watched the Giants claw their way back and turn both games into tense finishes.
Logan Webb will try to flip that script for San Francisco. He’s been uneven over his last five starts, but his last outing looked more like the version the Giants want.
Against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, Webb threw six innings, allowed one run on three hits and a walk, and struck out eight in a 5-4 Giants win in 11 innings.
San Diego also has to navigate Rafael Devers, who has been a major problem in this series. He has homered in both games, including the grand slam that made things uncomfortable in yesterday’s 7-6 Padres win.
With the way these first two games have unfolded, the Padres know they may need to keep one eye on the scoreboard and the other on the Giants until the final out.
In Other News...
Padres Infield Plans Just Got More Interesting With One Star Linked
The Padres are already expected to chase starting pitching in the 2026-27 offseason, but a new layer has crept into the conversation around their roster plans. CBS Sports analyst Mike Axisa has floated San Diego as a potential landing spot for Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., whose mix of athleticism and left-handed pop has kept him on the radar while he plays the 2026 season on a one-year deal in New York.
For a Padres club that always has to balance urgency with long-term fit, Chisholm is the kind of name that naturally changes the way people look at the infield picture. He has been productive enough offensively and solid enough defensively to draw attention beyond the Bronx, and San Diego is not the only club in the mix, with the Texas Rangers also mentioned. The real question is whether the Padres want to make room for another impact infielder while they are also sorting out their pitching priorities. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Pivetta Just Made The Padres' October Rotation Decision Much Harder
Nick Pivettas return in September has given the Padres exactly the kind of late-season pitching problem teams hope for, even if it is a tricky one to sort out. San Diegos Opening Day starter was out for most of the 2026 season with a strained right flexor in his elbow, but he came back with a strong outing against the Nationals and immediately reinserted himself into the October conversation.
Now the Padres have more viable starters than rotation spots to comfortably hand out, and that puts some pressure on recent additions Robbie Ray and Casey Mize after uneven stretches with the club. Michael King and Walker Buehler are also expected to be part of the postseason mix, which leaves the Padres weighing form, health and trust at the exact moment when every start matters most. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Keep Making The Wild Card Race Feel Way Too Stressful
The Padres made it look comfortable early, then turned the back half of Wednesdays game into another reminder of how tight the National League wild card picture has become. San Diego got long balls from Rafael Devers and Jackson Merrill, plus a safety squeeze from Jake Cronenworth, to build enough cushion against the Giants and keep control of a game that mattered just as much for the standings as it did in the box score.
Fernando Tatis Jr. also chipped in with a solo homer in the sixth to help stretch the margin before the Giants started to chip away. Even after the late push, the Padres were able to hang on and keep their spot in the third wild card race, which is where every win feels like it can change the mood of the week. [Read more 🡒]