After two disappointing losses to the Kansas City Royals, the San Diego Padres felt due for a win like this one. They beat down on Kansas City in a 19-2 victory that felt a bit like payback for the tough-to-swallow loss in Game 1. The Friars hit five home runs, with Ty France and Jackson Merrill going deep twice. Fernando Tatis Jr. homered for the second time in as many days. It was an all-around effort.
Starter Germán Márquez pitched three two-run innings before the bullpen locked it down. It was
a fantastic showing from the inconsistent Padres club. That momentum will need to carry them into their series against the Atlanta Braves. The Friars (somehow) swept the Braves the last time they faced. The club will need some of that magic again to turn their season around before it’s too late.
Taking the mound
Bryce Elder (ATL) v. JP Sears (SD)
Until recently, Elder had been having an incredible year with Atlanta. The young right-hander had posted a 2.66 ERA as late as June 7. But the month of June was not kind to Elder, with the righty posting an 8.10 ERA through six starts that month.
He hasn’t turned things around since, issuing three runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates in his final start before the All-Star break. Elder had been a breakout star this year in Atlanta’s rotation. He still has that capability within him as a pitcher. The Friars will need to make sure that they silence those abilities tonight in order to win their series opener.
Sears faced Atlanta in his first start of 2026 with San Diego. He impressed by twirling 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball and credited with the win. Since then, it’s been rough. Through four starts, the lefty has posted a 5.03 ERA despite a 2.89 ERA over his last 9 1/3 innings.
The San Diego left-hander has shown flashes of elite pitching, but hasn’t been consistent enough to prove himself. If Sears can demonstrate that again against the Braves, it would be a welcome development for the Padres in their playoff aspirations.
Batter up!
The lineup doesn’t have much experience against Elder, but what they do have is good. No member of the Friars has more than five at-bats against Atlanta’s starter, but that doesn’t mean they’ll struggle against him. Elder has struggled to command his pitches lately and San Diego should be able to take advantage of that.
- Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
- Jackson Merrill, CF
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Ty France, 1B
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Gavin Sheets, LF
- Miguel Andujar, DH
- Sung-Mun Song, 2B
- Freddy Fermin, C
Despite the slugging of Tatis, Merrill and France, there were more unsung heroes of the game. Luis Rengifo, Jase Bowen and Sung-Mun Song combined to go 8-for-13 with one walk in Sunday’s series finale. It’s possible that performance could earn the trio more playing time. Song, especially, who went 3-for-3 after pinch-hitting for Luis Campusano in the eighth inning.
Relief corps
The Padres used just two of their bullpen arms in yesterday’s game, with Márquez and returner Randy Vásquez combined to cover six innings of ball. Vásquez looked good in his first outing since being activated from the IL, pitching three scoreless frames against the Royals. Yuki Matsui and Wandy Peralta covered three perfect innings for San Diego.
That performance leaves the bullpen rested for their series opener against Atlanta. Kyle Hart, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, Bradgley Rodriguez and Matt Waldron will be options for the Friars to turn to once Sears departs the game.
