The Padres left Denver with a 9-3 loss to the Rockies on Tuesday night, but the bigger picture still has San Diego in the thick of the wild-card race. At 82-69, the Padres are one game behind the Phillies for better seeding, 1.5 games back of the Cubs, and 2.5 games ahead of the Diamondbacks for the final spot.
The night started with a jolt from Fernando Tatis Jr., who sent the second pitch of the game 455 feet for a solo homer. It was his 23rd of the season and a blast that came off an 87 mph cutter from Kyle Freeland. Tatis now has five 450-plus-foot homers this year, the most in the league, moving him ahead of Junior Caminero and Kyle Schwarber.
San Diego’s offense had a few more bright spots even in defeat. Austin Hays, Jackson Merrill and Luis Campusano each turned in multi-hit games.
But the pitching side couldn’t hold up behind Walker Buehler, who gave up two earned runs in 4.2 innings. Wandy Peralta and Randy Vásquez followed and combined to allow seven runs over the next 3.1 frames.
The Padres also officially moved on from eight players in their organization, including seven pitchers and a shortstop. All eight played at the Dominican Summer League level this season, either on the Padres Gold or Brown teams.
There was also an update on Mason Miller after Monday night’s scary moment, when a 101-mph grounder struck his calf. Miller said he expects some soreness, but felt fortunate to come out of it without anything serious.
“I’m sure it’ll be a little sore,” Miller said. “But game adrenaline does wonders for things like that.
… I’ll take a one-hopper before a line drive for sure. So grateful to walk away from it without any real issues.”
And then there’s Ethan Salas, who could be on the verge of making history not seen in baseball since 1969. With October approaching, manager Craig Stammen left the door open for the rookie catcher to see action at or behind the plate in the postseason.
“We’re looking for Ethan to get some playing time,” Stammen said recently. “We think he’s a really good player, and he can help us down the stretch and hopefully into the playoffs."
Salas is 1-for-17 with a .059 average in his first eight big league games.
In Other News...
Fernando Tatis Jr. Is Making One MLB Critic Look Foolish
Fernando Tatis Jr. has spent enough time under a microscope that every swing tends to carry extra meaning, and this season has only added to the spotlight. After questions lingered around his power output and whether it would ever return to its old level, Tatis answered with a season that pushed past the kind of benchmark some critics had already written off, giving the Padres another reminder of how dangerous he can be when his game is clicking.
One of the louder doubts came from Erik Kratz, who had tied Tatis supposed decline to his 2022 PED suspension and said he would not get back to 20 home runs. Tatis cleared that number with 22, and the turnaround has been linked to swing adjustments and mechanical changes rather than any mystery surge. It is the kind of rebound that makes old declarations age badly, even if not every critic seems eager to revisit them. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Loss Revived A Frustrating Question Fans Know Too Well
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Campusano gave San Diego an early lift in Denver, but the Padres could not hold it together after Colorado answered with a five-run sixth inning on the way to a 9-3 Rockies win. The loss snapped San Diegos winning streak and served as a reminder of how quickly a game can tilt when the offense cools and the bullpen is forced to absorb the pressure.
Craig Stammen acknowledged the defeat while still pointing to the teams recent play as a sign of progress, which is why this one stung without necessarily changing the larger mood around the club. Even so, the kind of collapse that followed a promising start is the sort of night that sends Padres fans right back to a familiar question, the same one that tends to linger whenever a lead slips away in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Are Sending Ethan Salas A Message Fans Will Notice
Ethan Salas rapid climb has become one of the more interesting development stories in the organization, and it has not happened by accident. After earning a promotion to Triple-A on the strength of a strong Double-A run, the young catcher got another jump when rosters expanded on Sept. 1, putting him in the major leagues before many prospects his age are even close to the conversation. Padres manager Craig Stammen and Manny Machado both have made it clear they believe Salas has the talent to matter here, and that kind of backing says plenty about where the club sees him fitting long term.
The early big-league adjustment was always going to be part of the package, especially after Salas opened 0-for-14 in MLB. Then came the kind of swing that changes the tone around a prospect fast, as he picked up his first major league hit with a triple and became the youngest player since Machado to do it. For Padres fans, the message is pretty easy to read: the organization is not just giving Salas a look, it is giving him a chance to start showing why so many inside the team think he can be part of what comes next. [Read more 🡒]