For a minute there, it looked like the San Diego Padres might continue to move forward. And then they took two steps back. The club lost its second consecutive game to the Toronto Blue Jays in their series opener Friday night after Jhony Brito gave up a three-run shot to Kazuma Okamoto in the fifth inning. The Friars tried to claw their way back in the ninth, but the rally was snuffed out when Xander Bogaerts grounded out to end the inning.
The Padres will need to surge against Toronto tonight in order
to force the rubber match. The club is still without a win in the month of July. Entering the All-Star break attempting to stave off a sweep is not the way to go. It would also be nice for San Diego to go into the break sitting at .500. In order to do that, they’ll need to win this series.
Taking the mound
Trey Yesavage (TOR) v. Walker Buehler (SD)
Yesavage took a massive step backward from his postseason antics in 2025. The 22-year-old got off to a rough start returning from injury. He’s made just 13 starts and has struggled in his last few. The right-hander owns a 4.14 ERA in his last 41 1/3 innings pitched.
That said, San Diego has never faced Yesavage or his signature “sky ball” splitter. It’s called that because of his particularly high arm slot that makes the ball feel like it’s coming down from the sky. If Yesavage has that pitch working tonight, it’ll be rough going for the Friars.
Buehler needs to turn things around. He was the club’s ace through the month of June, posting a 1.71 ERA in that month. Across two starts in July, the righty owns a 16.00 ERA. It’s been tough, and Buehler has proven he can pitch better than this. In his last two starts he has struggled immensely.
He should be better tonight. Buehler has pitched very well in his career against the Blue Jays’ hitters. He hasn’t faced them much, but, when he has, he’s dominated. For the Friar Faithful’s sake, hopefully Buehler can do so again to force the rubber game.
Batter up!
With the Padres having never faced Yesavage, they’ll need to solve him quick and punish any mistakes he makes in the zone. After Bogaerts hit a two-run shot off of Shane Bieber last night, the Friars’ offense went dormant in what has been a continuing (and concerning) trend for San Diego.
- Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
- Jackson Merrill, CF
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Gavin Sheets, LF
- Ty France, 1B
- Miguel Andujar, DH
- Jake Cronenworth, 2B
- Luis Campusano, C
The Friars almost rallied, tagging Toronto closer Louis Varland for back-to-back-to-back singles to put the tying run at first base and the winning run at the plate. That alone was a small victory as Varland had only given up 32 hits across 48 innings entering last night’s game. San Diego was unable to cash in on the opportunity and will need to tonight.
Relief corps
Starter JP Sears pitched well until the fifth inning. He got into some trouble there, but Brito was just as responsible. After giving up the home run, Brito looked fantastic. He covered 2 2/3 innings for San Diego and saved the bullpen. Only Wandy Peralta and Ron Marinaccio needed to be called upon to finish the game.
Tonight, Kyle Hart, Yuki Matsui, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and Bradgley Rodriguez will be available. The latter three are all high-leverage options for the Padres to turn to if a pitcher’s duel should occur. Once Buehler exits, there will be plenty of options for manager Craig Stammen to turn to.
