The San Diego Padres took a tough loss in the series finale against the Athletics on Sunday. After Michael King gave up three runs in the first two innings, the Padres found themselves in a hole they couldn’t get out of.
They managed to accrue nine hits, but failed to score until the sixth inning after some base running gaffes took away a few high-leverage opportunities. Had those gaffes not happened, the Friars could have certainly won this game.
They’ll now face a surging Philadelphia Phillies club
headed by interim manager Don Mattingly. They’ve had some momentum with power hitting (slugging three homers on Friday’s series opener), but they’ll need to come alive against Philly’s pitching.
Taking the mound
Jesús Luzardo (PHI) v. Randy Vásquez (SD)
The lefty Luzardo was given an extension with Philadelphia at the outset of 2026, cementing his place in the Phillies’s rotation. That extension has not paid off the way they hoped, with Luzardo owning a 4.85 ERA.
He hasn’t been much better recently, with a 4.23 ERA in his last seven starts (38.1 IP). Luzardo has been inconsistent in limiting contact, with 58 hits and 66 strikeouts through his year. His last two starts have been solid, giving up just two runs across 12 innings.
Vásquez has shared ace duties with King this year, authoring a career-best 2.96 ERA through 54 2/3 innings. He’s lost that a bit in his recent starts, posting a 3.89 ERA across his last 37 innings.
His last start against the Los Angeles Dodgers was uncharacteristic, pitching just 4 1/3 innings and allowing three runs. If he can limit the Phillies lineup, he’ll need to do much better at limiting contact from Philadelphia’s sluggers.
Batter up!
Fernando Tatis Jr. has finally started to break out, going 4-for-10 with two walks in the series. It’s been up-and-down (mostly down) for the Padres superstar. Perhaps his elusive first homer is not too far away.
- Fernando Tatis Jr., 2B
- Miguel Andujar, DH
- Gavin Sheets, 1B
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Jackson Merrill, CF
- Ramón Laureano, LF
- Nick Castellanos, RF
- Freddy Fermin, C
Fermin has had a tough go of things lately. Entering play on Monday, Fermin is batting .146 with zero homers this year. He’s been good defensively, but hasn’t done much else to prove his value.
Ty France had a great outing on Sunday, going 2-for-4 with a homer and a walk. Some poor base running stopped him from scoring another run, but he was a big part of the Padres almost-comeback.
Relief corps
After using most of their high-leverage pieces in Saturday’s win, the Friars were resting on the laurels of ace Michael King. Unfortunately, he did not deliver, only making it through 3 2/3 innings before giving way to the ‘pen.
Thankfully, Ron Marinaccio pitched an efficient three innings before Wandy Peralta took over in the seventh to record the final out. Peralta pitched a scoreless eighth and Bradgley Rodriguez came in to close the game. He gave up a run on three hits and a walk but escaped the jam by striking out Jeff McNeil.
Yuki Matsui was the only pitcher not used in the series against the A’s. He’ll be available tonight against Philly, but Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon will be as well.
