The Padres left Florida with a sweep, a .500 record, and a little more life in the race. San Diego’s 5-3 win over the Marlins on Sunday pushed the club to 53-53, and it came with a late burst that turned the game in an instant.
Manny Machado started the eighth-inning surge with a two-run homer to tie it. Jackson Merrill followed with a solo shot to put the Padres in front, and Luis Campusano added another run before the inning ended. It was the kind of inning that can change the mood of a road trip in a hurry.
The pitching staff did its part, too. Walker Buehler opened the day with seven strikeouts over 5.1 innings, giving up two walks and two earned runs.
Yuki Matsui finished the sixth with a pair of strikeouts, Wandy Peralta allowed only one hit in his inning, and Adrian Morejon fired a perfect eighth on just nine pitches. Mason Miller then locked down save No.
There’s also encouraging movement on the injury front. The Padres have gotten promising updates on Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove, and that matters because starting pitching has been one of the biggest pressure points all season. Getting both arms back would give San Diego a much-needed boost for the second-half push.
Machado, meanwhile, is still drawing attention for his season and for where he fits in the lineup. Former Padre Heath Bell criticized Machado’s choice of hitting coach this past offseason and said he’d move him down in the order.
"I would put Manny in the fifth spot because he doesn't have the average, but he still hits for power," Bell said.
Machado is hitting .210 and is four home runs shy of matching last year’s total.
Miller’s name is still out there in trade chatter as well, but the Padres’ direction at the deadline remains cloudy with the club sitting at .500. Bell pushed for a deal that would send Miller to the New York Yankees, though if San Diego decides to buy, keeping the flamethrower may make the most sense.
After the sweep, FanGraphs has the Padres’ playoff odds at 14.6%, which is double what they were just three days ago. Jake Cronenworth put it plainly: "I think if we keep playing like this, we're going to put ourselves in a position to make A.J. help this team," Jake Cronenworth said.
In Other News...
Royals Deadline Plans Suddenly Come Down To One Costly Contract
The deadline chatter around expensive veterans usually starts with the teams trying to add, but San Diego keeps showing up in the conversation because its books are tight and its margin for error is thin. The Padres are sitting roughly $13 million above the $244 million competitive balance tax line, and as a second-time luxury tax offender, they do not have much room to maneuver if they want to keep chasing help without making another costly commitment.
That is why the broader market matters to them, even when the focus is on clubs like Kansas City and other teams weighing salary dumps before the August 3 deadline. If a club is looking to shed payroll, the Padres have to be ready to think creatively about what kind of contract they can absorb, what kind of prospect return might follow, and how far they are willing to push their own financial limits in the process. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Deadline Tension Grows As Ty France Sends Clear Message
With the trade deadline closing in, the Padres are once again in that awkward middle ground where the front office has to think in two directions at once. San Diego has playoff hopes worth protecting, but it also has players who could draw interest if the club decides to reshape the roster, and Ty France has become one of the more interesting names in that conversation after a strong season at the plate.
France has made it clear he would prefer to stay put, and his comments add a personal layer to a deadline that already feels complicated for the Padres. He has been one of the more productive bats in the lineup, which only increases his value around the league, but it also makes the decision harder for a team trying to balance immediate contention with whatever comes next before the deadline passes. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Could Land An Elite Arm Without Touching Their Top Prospects
The Brewers are still looking for pitching help as the trade deadline approaches, and their search has already put them in the middle of plenty of speculation. Milwaukee has been tied to Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, but ESPN's Paul Hembekides floated a different kind of swing in a recent trade concept, one that would let the Brewers chase an elite arm without reaching into the very top of their farm system.
In that scenario, the cost would come from depth rather than the club's blue-chip names, with Milwaukee parting with its No. 6, No. 8 and No. 10 prospects instead of anyone from the top five. The idea is only a proposal for now, but it underscores how aggressive the Brewers could be if they decide to go beyond the usual deadline shopping and target a late-inning difference-maker. [Read more 🡒]