The Padres checked off a clean win Wednesday, blanking the Pirates 3-0 and moving to 72-62, but the night still came with the kind of news that keeps a clubhouse busy.
Randy Vásquez set the tone on the mound with five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out two. The outing gave him his 10th win of the season, which is also a career high. San Diego backed him with timely offense: Jackson Merrill went 2-for-4 and drove in a run with an RBI triple in the fourth, Luis Rengifo added an RBI in the second, and Jake Cronenworth finished the scoring with a run batted in during the eighth.
Even with the win in hand, the Padres had already taken another hit on the injury front. Before the game, they placed a pitcher with a 3.48 ERA on the injured list for the third time in 2026. This latest setback is being labeled a shoulder impingement after earlier stints for right elbow tendinitis and right knee inflammation during the first half of the season.
There was also fresh conversation around the front office as new ownership settles in. José E. Feliciano, who is leading the administration with his wife and co-owner Kwanza Jones, spoke about president of baseball operations AJ Preller and CEO Erik Greupner as part of the team’s direction moving forward.
“I don’t want to sound like the baseball executive here,” Feliciano said. “We’ll work with A.J., we’ll work with Erik. We have been blessed with a team in a city that is supporting us in a way that is allowing us to invest back in that team, in the stadium, in the city, and we’re committed to doing that."
On the field, Mason Miller was just as blunt about the home run that snapped his 76.2-inning streak without allowing one. After giving up a hanging changeup to Pirates slugger Oneil Cruz on Tuesday, Miller didn’t sugarcoat it.
“Humans can be idiots sometimes,” Miller said. “Tip your hat.
Good swing. Crushed it obviously.
But I just can't be throwing that pitch in that spot.”
The pitch that Cruz sent into the seats was only the 22nd changeup Miller has thrown this year, and the 44th he’s thrown since May 2025.
The Padres also had more injury news tied to Jeremiah Estrada, who is right back on the injured list for the third time this season. And Yu Darvish was on the field playing catch at Petco Park Wednesday morning.
Elsewhere around the team, the Buss brothers, Joey and Jesse, are joining the Padres ownership group and will serve on an advisory board focused on player development, payroll management, and roster construction.
In Other News...
Yu Darvish Just Reopened A Big Padres Rotation Question
Yu Darvish is back on the mound in a limited way, moving into light bullpen sessions as he continues his recovery from internal brace surgery on his right elbow. It is a meaningful step for a Padres rotation that has spent plenty of time wondering what the future looks like around one of its most experienced starters, especially with Darvish still under contract for two more years.
Darvish has not promised a comeback this season, and the rehab process will ultimately decide the timing. Even so, the fact that his work is on schedule keeps next year in play and gives San Diego another important layer to follow as it sorts through the rotation picture. He has also pushed back on offseason retirement talk, saying his next move will depend on how the rehab unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Just Took A Bullpen Hit They Cant Afford Right Now
The Padres bullpen took another hit Monday when they put right-hander Jeremiah Estrada on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement, a move retroactive to Aug. 25. To fill the roster spot, San Diego recalled right-hander David Morgan from Triple-A El Paso, a reminder of how quickly relief depth can get tested this time of year.
Estrada has already been through a stop-start season, having missed time earlier with right elbow tendinitis and right knee inflammation, and the Padres still have not offered a timetable for when he might come back. For a club leaning hard on its pitching staff, losing another late-inning arm now only adds to the pressure on a bullpen that can least afford another extended absence. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Ownership Already Faces A Long Term Test Fans Will Feel
The Padres long-running push for immediate help at the big league level has left them with one of baseballs thinnest pipelines, and the consequences are still showing up in the farm-system rankings. San Diego has finished last in MLBs prospect evaluations for three straight cycles, with Ethan Salas as the lone player in the Top 100, a stark reminder of how often the club has moved premium young talent in exchange for established major league pieces.
New ownership has promised a more patient approach, especially when it comes to scouting and player development, and there is some optimism around the 2026 draft class. Still, the Padres are not exactly stepping away from their win-now identity, which leaves the front office trying to keep the big-league roster competitive while also repairing the long-term foundation underneath it. For fans, the real test may be whether those two goals can finally start to align. [Read more 🡒]