After getting stomped by the Arizona Diamondbacks in their series opener on Friday, the San Diego Padres got right back in Game 2. Their offense tagged Arizona for 10 runs, with every player in the lineup reaching base. Of Arizona’s pitchers, none got it worse than Jose Cabrera. The righty surrendering five runs over just 1 1/3 innings Much of that came from Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado’s home runs.
Despite an attempt to come back, Mason Miller shut the door in the ninth inning. It will likely
be the elite closer’s last appearance of the regular season. With their win last night, San Diego clinched home-field advantage in the upcoming Wild Card series. They’ll host the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday in Petco Park. Because of that, Sunday’s game is meaningless to the Friars. However, Arizona could still clinch a spot in the playoffs if the Philadelphia Phillies lose.
Taking the mound
Michael Soroka (AZ) v. Randy Vásquez (SD)
Soroka has pitched incredibly well since being signed to a one-year contract by the Dbacks. He’s pitched to an ERA over 4.00 in each of the last three seasons. This year, Soroka owns a 3.31 ERA through 111 1/3 innings pitched. He’s been absolutely fantastic, anchoring a rough Arizona starting rotation this year.
In his last 15 games, Soroka has been even better. He owns a 2.79 ERA and 0.95 WHIP over his last 80 2/3 innings. The right-hander is coming off of a seven-inning gem in Coors Field in which he gave up just one run to the Colorado Rockies. He’ll be the last hope for Arizona to make the postseason over the Phillies.
Vásquez gets the nod for the final regular season game of 2026. He’ll be tasked with impressing the San Diego coaching staff enough to give him a spot in the postseason rotation. If the Padres advance past the NL Wild Card round, they’ll need a fifth starter now that Casey Mize is on the injured list. Vásquez could very well be that starter.
After an otherworldly start to the year, Vásquez regressed quite a bit in the middle of the season. Still, he’s posted a 4.01 ERA in 134 2/3 innings. In his last seven starts, the righty owns a 2.80 ERA. He pitched against Arizona earlier this season and dominated, twirling six scoreless innings. If he can do so again, Vásquez could easily find himself pitching in October.
Batter up!
Machado hit his 30th home run of the season on Saturday night. It’s the 399th of his career and his eighth 30-homer season. He’s now tied with Nolan Arenado for the most 30-homer seasons among active MLB players. Machado will have one last opportunity to hit No. 400 in today’s regular season finale.
- Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
- Dustin Harris, LF
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Ty France, 1B
- Jackson Merrill, CF
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Gavin Sheets, DH
- Jake Cronenworth, 2B
- Freddy Fermin, C
It’s entirely possible that manager Craig Stammen rolls out an entirely different lineup tomorrow. With nothing to lose in the final game of the season, Stammen could use the opportunity to give his starters some much-needed rest heading into the Wild Card series. Jase Bowen, Austin Hays, Sung-Mun Song and Samad Taylor seem likely to start in that case.
Relief corps
Walker Buehler struggled in his final start of the season. With the Padres desperately hoping to clinch home-field advantage, his leash was much shorter than normal. After surrendering four runs (three earned) in 3 2/3 innings, the Friars turned to the bullpen. Yuki Matsui finished the fourth before Bradgley Rodriguez, David Morgan, Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller finished out the win.
Of the group, only Miller struggled. In his worst outing of the year, the elite closer gave up three runs on three hits and two walks. Thankfully, the Padres had built up enough of a lead that it wasn’t an issue. Hopefully, that performance isn’t an indicator of what’s to come in the playoffs. In the series finale, San Diego will have Jason Adam, Griffin Canning, Wandy Peralta and Randy Vásquez available out of the ‘pen.
