The San Diego Padres staved off the sweep against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday. They still lost the series, but the offense outscored St. Louis eight runs to seven across the series. That’s mostly due to the Friars’ six run outburst in the series finale.
That performance gives the offense some momentum heading into tonight’s series opener. But the lineup has been unable to find a consistent groove. The Padres will need to do so against the Texas Rangers’ elite pitching staff.
Taking the mound
Jacob deGrom (TEX) v. Randy Vásquez (SD)
It’s says a lot
about deGrom that 2026 has been his worst season since 2017 when the righty boasts a 3.17 ERA through 76 2/3 innings. He finally achieved his 100th career win earlier this year and has looked electric on the mound in his age-37 campaign.
The right-hander got off to a rocky start to the season before finishing April with a 2.01 ERA. A difficult May (5.72 ERA) ballooned deGrom’s ERA to 3.77 before his last three starts brought it back down. He’ll seek to continue that dominance against the Friars tonight.
Vásquez has had an incredible 2026 despite some recent struggles. His last seven starts have been difficult, posting a 4.11 ERA in his last 35 innings pitched. Compare that to an overall 3.63 ERA this season and it’s been a tough stretch as of late.
That said, Vásquez’s season has been miraculous. The right-hander has pitched incredibly for San Diego, looking better than he ever has. He’s needed a turnaround and will try to gain one against a slumping Texas lineup.
Batter up!
In spite of a six-run burst against the Cardinals in the series finale, the Friars’ offense went dark after erupting against the Baltimore Orioles. The club scored just eight runs in the entire series against St. Louis after starter Dustin May pitched a complete-game shutout on Monday night. They’ll need to improve against the Rangers’ ace tonight.
- Fernando Tatis Jr., 2B
- Samad Taylor, LF
- Jackson Merrill, CF
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Gavin Sheets, RF
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Ty France, 1B
- Will Wagner, DH
- Rodolfo Durán, C
Prior to the series in St. Louis, the Padres had combined to slug eight homers in their last six games. In their series against the Cards, the Friars only managed to hit one out of the yard. The lineup will need to rediscover that slug facing Texas.
Relief corps
San Diego employed an opener for starter Griffin Canning in Wednesday’s game. Bradgley Rodriguez pitched the first inning before making way for Canning. Kyle Hart, Jason Adam and Adrian Morejon covered the final 3 2/3 innings.
With the off day on Thursday, the Friars will have all of their relief weapons available. That said, Yuki Matsui, David Morgan and Wandy Peralta will be first out of the ‘pen once Vásquez departs. Ron Marinaccio will be unavailable while serving the final game of his suspension for hitting Gunnar Henderson in Baltimore.
