By the end of the third inning, Friday's game against the Padres didn't seem to promise much of a contest. The tally: 7-1 in favor of the visiting San Diegans after a barrage of extra basehits and two-out knocks. A
nthony Molina, who looked somewhat sharp in the 1st with two strikeouts with his four-seam, ran out of ideas in the 2nd and 3rd. He pressed hard on that fastball and the Padres bats welcomed it. Jackson Merrill bounced an outside fastball over the wall for a ground-rule double to start the 2nd. Molina retired the next two hitters he faced but couldn't find a way out of the frame cleanly. Dustin Harris deflected another elevated fastball to score Merrill. Freddy Fermin punched another 340 feet, easily scoring Harris from first.
Molina tried to adapt, shifting off his primary weapon his second time through the San Diego order, but nothing worked. Jake Cronenworth set the tone in the 3rd with a feisty 8-pitch scuffle that ended with a 107 MPH single off a change-up. Luis Campusano plated him by punishing a hanging slider. That double would be the first of four RBI extra base knocks in the inning. Seven Padres reached, five scored in all. Molina became less as a road-block and more as a facilitator, the operator of a fast food drive-thru, the In-N-Out at Tejon Ranch, taking each hitter's order, efficiently moving the high-volume of customers from window to window before sending them on their way with exactly what they asked for.
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As Molina's fortunes plummeted, San Diego starter, Robbie Ray, making his first start against the Giants since his trade, steadied himself after a prolonged 1st inning.

#molina #fastball #merrill #knocks

You can find original article here WealthManagement. Subscribe to our free daily WealthManagement newsletters.
Legacy Edge Advisors, a Syosset, N.Y.-based registered investment advisor with $1.2 billion in client ***** ets, has hired Christopher Weyrauch as its first CEO.
Weyrauch had been head of wealth management at Citizens Financial Group from 2021 to 2024, a role he took after a 28-year run at TIAA, where he was the last CEO and president of TIAA Life Insurance Company.
Legacy Edge Advisors was founded by TIAA wealth management advisors Scott Israel, Robert Rom, Jason Kass and Tim Urie, who split off to start their own firm. They have since added more former TIAA advisors and an advisor for Merrill Lynch, according to Israel.
"Our focus was to build something that was viable, profitable and a place that our colleagues from TIAA and [advisors from] elsewhere could have a place that would give them what TIAA clients are used to," Israel said. "I'll call that phase one, and we did that."

#advisor

The San Diego Padres were able to build a 6-3 lead over the Tampa Bay Rays thanks to a three-run top of the seventh inning. The Rays responded with a four-run bottom of the seventh inning, which handed the Padres a 7-6 loss at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburgh on Saturday. The loss is critical to San Diego's push for the postseason, but even worse was the loss of Luis Rengifo who was injured and carted off the field in bottom of the seventh.
Bradgley Rodriguez started the seventh inning on the mound for the Padres with a 6-3 lead. San Diego appeared to have the recipe for a win in place. Rodriguez would work the seventh and pass the ball to Adrian Morejon in the eighth and eventually Mason Miller in the ninth if it was still a three-run game to secure a win. Rodriguez immediately got into trouble with a walk and back-to-back singles to load the bases. Yandy Diaz then lined a ball over the head of Jackson Merrill in centerfield that one-hopped the wall. Merrill threw the ball back to the infield where Rengifo took the ball at second base.
Tampa Bay had a runner caught between second and third and Rengifo ran toward him. At the same time, the runner on third base sprinted toward home and when Rengifo planted to stop his momentum and throw to the plate, he suffered what manager Craig Stammen said after the game was a knee sprain. The throw from Rengifo sailed past home plate and allowed the tying runs to score to tie the game at 6-6.
After a long injury delay and Rengifo being driven off the field while lying on his back on the cart, Stammen replaced Rodriguez with Adrian Morejon since there were no outs in the inning and the winning run on third base. Morejon induced a groundout for the first out of the inning and then allowed an intentional walk to setup the double play possibility. Morejon struck out Ryan Vilade for the second out of the inning but then allowed a single to Chandler Simpson which put the Rays ahead of the Padres, 7-6. The inning ended on a strikeout one batter later.
San Diego appeared deflated after the injury to Rengifo and surrendering the lead and went down in order in the top of the eighth. Manny Machado drew a one-out walk in the top of the ninth, but Ty France followed with a strikeout and Merrill grounded out to end the game.

#rengifo #rays

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Lars Nootbaar hit a pinch grand slam in the seventh inning and Merrill Kelly threw seven shutout innings to help the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the San Francisco Giants 7-1 on Saturday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.
Kelly (9-12) limited the Giants to two hits in those seven innings. He struck out seven and walked four.
San Francisco's best scoring opportunity came in the fourth. With runners at the corners and one out, Turner Hill hit a grounder to second. Ildemaro Vargas' throw to the plate cut down Bryce Eldridge. Kelly then got Drew Cavanaugh on another grounder.
Making his third start in the majors, left-hander Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson held the Diamondbacks scoreless on three hits through six innings and retired 11 batters in a row from the second inning through the fifth.
Listed at 6-foot-1, 250 pounds, Wilkinson issued his only two walks to open the seventh. Ryan Walker then replaced Wilkinson (0-2).

#diamondbacks #hits

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — San Diego Padres' second baseman Luis Rengifo was carted off the field in the seventh inning of Saturday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays with an apparent leg injury.
Rengifo dropped to the infield dirt after throwing wildly on a relay to home plate in an attempt to get Tampa Bay's Cedric Mullins. The throw sailed wide of catcher Luis Campusano, allowing two runners to score on the play and tying the game at 6.
After being attended to by training staff, Rengifo required ****** istance to get to his feet before being loaded onto the back of a medical cart.
With the bases loaded and ****** ody out in the bottom of the seventh, Tampa Bay designated hitter Yandy Diaz hit a line drive to center that bounded off the base of the wall. Center fielder Jackson Merrill grabbed the carom and threw to Rengifo.
The play caught Tampa Bay's Taylor Walls and Mullins near third base. As Rengifo was chasing Walls to third, Mullins ran for home, forcing the Padres' second baseman to throw across his body to the plate. As soon as the ball left his hand, Rengifo fell to the ground.

#luis #baseman

Things got heated Monday night between the Diamondbacks and Cubs when Chicago third-base coach Quintin Berry was accused of relaying Arizona starter Merrill Kelly's pitches to his batters.
It turns out that Berry wasn't doing anything illegal. And on Monday, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that he called Cubs manager Craig Counsell to apologize and admit that he and his team were wrong for causing a ruckus over the situation.
Lovullo told reporters about the apology on Tuesday prior to Game 2 of the series in Phoenix. He said that he spoke with MLB senior vice president of on-field operations Michael Hill, who informed him that Berry was, indeed, acting within the rules by picking up on and relaying Kelly's pitches to Cubs batters from the confines of the third-base coach's box.
"I talked to the league," Lovullo said. … "I thought it was supposed to be kept between the white lines. I spoke to Mike Hill today, it was a fantastic conversation.
"He gave me the fastest version that the third-base coach and first-base coach can do whatever they want as along as they are inside the dimensions of the base-coaching box. So, I stand corrected and had a chance to call [Counsell] and apologize to him and told him that we were wrong, and they were doing everything right."

#lovullo #diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks lost 7-0 to the Chicago Cubs on Monday night, and Merrill Kelly called out third base coach Quintin Berry for relaying signs to Cubs hitters.
The Diamondbacks and Cubs were seen chirping at each other on the broadcast, with the Arizona Diamondbacks directing their anger at Berry.
Diamondbacks and Cubs dugouts exchanging wordspic.twitter.com/Pcn2eMpv38
"We just thought he was relaying signs," Kelly said after the game. "We thought he had something on my changeup. Especially to lefties, every time I was throwing a changeup we felt like he was relaying that."
Looking for the perfect gift for a baseball player in your life? Check out our brand new baseball lifestyle brand!

#Cubs

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Nick Gonzales led off the 12th inning with an RBI single and the Pittsburgh Pirates snapped their three-game skid with a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Monday night.
Esmerlyn Valdez homered and Rafael Flores Jr. had an RBI double in the sixth for the Pirates, who rebounded from getting swept at Dodger Stadium last weekend with just their 11th win in 31 games.
Jake Cronenworth tied it in the eighth with a two-out RBI single for the Padres, whose three-game winning streak ended with only their eighth loss in 29 games. San Diego's eight-game home winning streak also ended.
San Diego loaded the bases with one out in the 11th, but Kirby Yates (2-5) struck out Jackson Merrill and got Xander Bogaerts to line out. Merrill went 0 for 5 on his bobblehead night, striking out on three pitches with the bases loaded in both the eighth and 11th, and also failed to make a diving catch on Flores' RBI double.
After Jared Triolo scored on Gonzales' single off Jeremiah Estrada (2-3), Yohan Ramirez struck out the side in the 12th to earn his second save.

#diego #single #flores

Well, in the broader scheme of things, that probably went about as well as could be expected. It was a Merrill Kelly start, after all. He hasn't picked up a W in more than a month, his last win coming back on July 22. As mentioned in the GDT tonight, August has been a cruel month for Kelly. Tonight, to be fair, wasn't so bad. He came within one out of a quality start, something we haven't seen from Merrill in eight attempts now, since before the All-Star break. While the Arizona bullpen certainly didn't help matters, this one was more on the offense. Here's some insightful baseball ******* ysis for you. You won't win many games when you fail to score any runs. You're welcome!
After a quick first inning on both sides, it look like Merrill Kelly's night was set up to be a short one. A one-out walk was followed by a two-out triple, as Corbin Carroll couldn't corral the ball in the right field corner. Kelly then lost control of his change-up entirely, walking the Cubs #8 and #9 hitters, to load the bases in front of presumptive 2026 NL MVP, Pete Crow-Armstrong. Cue thoughts of, "It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for 'em". Fortunately, it did, though only just, as PCA sent it 388 feet to die in the center field glove of Ryan Waldschmidt. An elevated pitch count for Merrill and a 1-0 deficit were by no means a disaster.
Indeed, Kelly settled down surprisingly well after that, rediscovering the feel for his off-speed pitches. He set down the Cubs in order in the third with a pair of strikeouts, then had another 1-2-3 frame in the 4th, including another K. He did allow another run in the 5th on a pair of doubles, as the Cubs took a 2-0 lead, but it was a solid enough outing. The most interesting thing though, was likely a spat between Kelly and the third-base coach for the Cubs, Quintin Berry. At one point, he stepped off the mound, stared pointedly at Berry, and then the occupants of the D-backs and Cubs dugouts started jawing at each other. The exact specifics of the discussion will have to await the Jomboy breakdown.
However, the broadcast team speculated that Berry's positioning might have allowed him to look into Merrill's glove and relay information to the batter, if there was a runner on second. It was notable that, after Kelly was lifted from the game, he remained in the dugout, unusual behavior for a starting pitcher. In particular, he remained right on the top step of the dugout, at the end nearest Berry, and Kelly appeared to be trying to trigger a Scanners-like explosion of Berry's head, through the sheer force of his stare. Kelly's final line? 5.2 innings, three runs allowed on five hits and three walks, with four strikeouts. It's his fifth consecutive outing with at least three walks. ******* ody has gone longer for Arizona since Robbie Ray went seven straight in 2018-19.
The Cubs did get the last laugh, however. After Merrill's exit with two outs in the sixth, Taylor Clarke came in and allowed back-to-back home-run

Team News
JJ Bleday hits for cycle at Chase Field vs. Diamondbacks: How rare is that? https://arizonasports.com/...
D-backs notes: Ketel Marte back to rehab work after casino night 'wasn't very good' for optics https://arizonasports.com/...
'Ketel's a grown man': Lovullo, D-backs hope to move on from Marte drama https://www.mlb.com/dbacks...
Kelly's love of Legos shapes his favorite off-field pastime
https://www.mlb.com/dbacks...

#hits

The Dbacks fell once again for the second consecutive night in Boston 9-4. To make things worse, the Phillies and the Padres won so now the Dbacks are 2 games outside of the third wild card spot. They are losers of 3 in a row and are 4-6 over their last 10 games.
Despite everything happening off the field with this team and Ketel Marte, it was actually the pitching that let this team down for the second consecutive night. The Marte news is no doubt a distraction im sure for this team, however having Ketel Marte on the field isn't going to change the fact that this pitching staff has given up 20 runs the past 2 games. You aren't going to win very many games giving up that many runs no matter who you are running up there to bat.
Merrill Kelly continued his skid as his stuff has really regressed late into the season. Kelly allowed 6 ER in just 4 innings tonight including 4 walks. What has become especially alarming about Kelly is just how few of his pitches he is throwing in the zone. This was first brought to my attention weeks ago by Snakes Territory's own Jesse Freidman, and tonight he noted that Kelly only threw 38.4% of his pitches in the strike zone. Last year, Kelly's in zone rate was 47.8%. And it wasn't just tonight for Kelly as he has had a sub 40% in zone rate for several of his last starts. Whatever is going on with him isn't going to be a simple fix im afraid. He really has some issues he needs to iron out physically, mechanically, or perhaps both.
The offense was rather quiet again with the exception of a Gabi Moreno grand slam in the top of the 3rd inning. It was just like you drew it up too as with 2 outs Waldschmidt and Vargas each singled, and Carroll was hit by a pitch brining up exactly who you wanted at the plate in this situation, the teams hottest hitter Gabi Moreno. Moreno then proceeded to get ahead in the count 2-0 and then absolutely unloads on a mistake pitch 428 feet over the green monster for a grand slam. Like I said, just like you drew it up. Team baseball passing the baton to the heart of the lineup.
Unfortunately Merrill Kelly would hand the 4-3 lead immediately back to the Red Sox just 4 batters later. Terrible timing for a team desperate to get some momentum. Then the Dbacks offense would proceed to do almost nothing for the rest of the game outside of a Perdomo double in the 6th and a couple of singles gathered around.

#kelly #zone #moreno

Red Sox Offense Sends Loud Message With Another Fenway Outburst originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox offense suddenly looks dangerous again. One night after pounding out 16 hits in an 11-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston followed with 13 more hits in a 9-4 win Tuesday night at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox have scored 20 runs on 29 hits through the first two games of the series. Eight different Boston hitters recorded at least one hit Tuesday, while Adley Rutschman and Mickey Gasper supplied the power.
For a lineup that recently endured another frustrating disappearance, the two-game eruption could not have come at a better time. Boston has won three of its last four games, improving to 68-58 and remaining firmly involved in the American League playoff race.
Boston immediately applied pressure against Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly. Ceddanne Rafaela and Nick Sogard opened the bottom of the first inning with consecutive singles before Wilyer Abreu drew a walk to load the bases.

#fenway #diamondbacks #games

NEW YORK -- The San Diego Padres must have left the defensive report on Mets right fielder Carson Benge back in Cleveland.
They quickly learned the hard way that New York's rookie outfielder has one of baseball's most dangerous arms, getting cut down at home twice in the opening inning of Monday's 2-1 loss at Citi Field.
San Diego's lineup jumped on Mets right-hander Nolan McLean early, putting runners on first and second with one out in the first. Ty France dunked in a third consecutive single to right, and Jake Cronenworth rounded third looking to score the game's first run. Instead, the second baseman was gunned down by Benge, who unleashed a perfect 99.9 mph dart to the plate.
Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill followed with a single to right on an 0-2 curveball, giving San Diego its fourth straight single.
Benge couldn't possibly do it again, right? He did.

#Padres #fielder

San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill earned himself an additional $5 million with his 500th plate appearance on Friday.
The 2026 milestone kicked in a clause in Merrill's contract that adds an $1 million to his salary for five years, increasing the total value of his contract from $135 million to a minimum of $140 million.
Merrill signed a nine-year extension with the Padres early in 2025 after just one year in the majors, finishing runner-up in the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year voting, also finishing ninth in MVP voting as a 21-year-old.
Now 23, Merrill has come alive after a disappointing first half, batting .333 with a 1.014 OPS in 27 games since the All-Star break. He hit nine home runs in that stretch after 10 in his first 93 games of the season.
Nightengale's Notebook: Latest MLB rumors

#million #contract #first

When the 2026 season started with Paul Skenes having the roughest start of his MLB career against the New York Mets, many thought it would be just a blip on his greatness radar. Unfortunately, it might have been a precursor for things to come this season for the Pittsburgh Pirates ace, and now we're left wondering if something is truly wrong with Skenes.
On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman discuss yet another concerning start for the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner and try to figure out what's going on with Paul Skenes. They make a comparison between him and Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who has also suffered a major falloff after his great 2025 campaign, and discuss whether the World Baseball Classic can be used as an excuse.
Later in the show, Jake and Jordan talk about Jackson Merrill being at the forefront of the San Diego Padres' hot offense, which has put them right back in the mix for a potential NL Wild Card spot. They then highlight the Chicago White Sox giving out a Pope hat as part of a giveaway, Tim Anderson announcing his retirement and play a fun game surrounding the 2026 Heart and Hustle Award winners.
1:11 - The Opener: Paul Skenes' concern grows
19:13 - Cal Raleigh's falloff from 2026

#skenes #Baseball #falloff

West coast games have not agreed with the Brewers this season. For the sixth time this season, the Brewers gave up double-digit runs in a game, and three of those have happened on the west coast. This time, it was an 11-2 loss to the Padres on Wednesday night in San Diego.
The game started off well enough for Kyle Harrison, who needed just ten pitches to get through the first inning despite allowing a single. However, it all started falling apart in the second. The inning started with back-to-back singles by Jackson Merrill and Austin Hays. Then, with runners at first and second, catcher Luis Campusano hit a ground ball directly to David Hamilton at third base. It was a tailor-made double play at minimum, and potentially even a chance at a triple play. Hamilton stepped on third and threw to Jihwan Bae at second, but Bae missed the catch. It should have been a error, but is not counted as one since by rule, you can't ****** ume a double play will be turned.
That loomed large as the inning continued. Xander Bogaerts popped out for the second out, but then Jake Cronenworth hit a double to left to score a run. After that, Fernando Tatis Jr. worked a full count, and then drew a walk after a challenge on a called strikeout. That brought up former Brewer Luis Rengifo. On the second pitch he saw, Harrison threw a fastball right down the middle, and Rengifo sent it far out over the left field fence. The Padres had a 5-0 lead.
From there, it might as well have been an insurmountable lead as the Brewers flailed against Walker Buehler. In his six inning start, he threw just 58 of his 98 pitches for strikes, and that was with the Brewers' hitters taking some bad swings. They did get a run off him in the third on a Jackson Chourio groundout with runners at second and third base, but that was all. That was the only run Buehler allowed, finishing his day with just one run, three hits, and two walks allowed while striking out five.
Meanwhile, Harrison had to keep pitching to not use up the bullpen, but his struggles were not done. He allowed a solo home run to Tatis Jr. on the first pitch of the fourth inning. The next inning, he allowed a two-run home run to Campusano. His day came to an end at 4 2/3 innings pitched, allowing eight runs on ten hits and three walks with just three strikeouts. His fastball velocity was notably down throughout the start, averaging between 92 and 94 mph, and topped out at 94.5 mph.

#inning #second #double #started

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jackson Merrill hit a two-run homer to center field in the seventh inning and Mason Miller earned his NL-leading 30th save to give the San Diego Padres a 3-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night.
With the Padres trailing 2-1 in the seventh, Ty France singled with one out and Merrill followed with his 19th homer on an 83 mph changeup from starter Logan Henderson (6-2). Merrill has nine homers since the All-Star break.
San Diego has won 13 of its last 17 games. The Padres remained a game out of the final National League playoff spot.
Henderson had won his last six decisions over seven starts before taking the loss versus San Diego. In 6 1/3 innings, he gave up three runs and five hits while striking out seven.
San Diego reliever Yuki Matsui (3-1) got the victory, pitching a scoreless seventh inning. Miller worked a scoreless ninth.

#henderson #inning #victory

Box Score
The Brewers carried a one-run lead into the seventh inning behind six dominant frames from Logan Henderson, but the Padres finally broke through against him the third time through the order. Jackson Merrill's two-run homer put San Diego ahead, and Milwaukee couldn't answer against the Padres' bullpen in a 3-2 loss.
Neither team managed to score in the first, but Milwaukee opened the scoring in the second. William Contreras, hitting sixth tonight, worked a one-out walk off Padres starter Casey Mize before Christian Yelich, hitting seventh, squared up a first-pitch fastball for a two-run homer.
Now THAT is a beautiful opposite field homer https://t.co/4SyPJc0euW pic.twitter.com/Vic01C5yIE
Contreras and Yelich have been mainstays in the heart of the Brewers' lineup for years, but both have struggled recently, leading manager Pat Murphy to move them down in the order before tonight's game.

#contreras

SAN DIEGO – It's hard to find a hotter bat than San Diego's Jackson Merrill, who came through with another critical late home run in the Padres 3-2 comeback series opening win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night at Petco Park.
Casey Mize made his ninth quality start of the season, his first for the Padres (63-57), with Merrill picking him up thanks to his MLB-leading 13th RBI of August. The Brewers (74-45) dropped just their 17th game when scoring first and the 22nd after leading.
Merrill, who entered the night with home runs in back-to-back games, gave San Diego their first lead of the game after Ty France hit a one-out single off Milwaukee starter Logan Henderson. After taking a pair of fastballs for a 1-1 count, Merrill teed off on a low change up and mashed it 431 feet to straightaway center for his 19th home run.
To start the game, Mize struck out three of the first four batters he faced, then with an out in the second walked William Contreras. Then Christian Yelich went with a first-pitch fastball to the opposite field, hitting a two-run home run to left for his eighth round-tripper and his 39th and 40th RBI.
In the home half France was able to split the deficit by lining a lead-off solo home run into the left field seats. After seeing fastballs on four of the first five offerings from Henderson, France smoked the middle changeup into the second row for his 17th homer and first since a two-run shot on July 23.

#Padres #mize

The Milwaukee Brewers — fresh off a solid 5-2 homestand to push them to 74-44 on the season — are headed back to the West Coast after visiting the Giants and Angels last week. This time, they'll face two slightly more formidable opponents in the Padres and Dodgers. First up is San Diego, currently in a fight for an NL Wild Card spot alongside the Phillies and D-backs (among several others). At 62-57, the Padres have turned things on in recent weeks to put themselves firmly into the playoff race.
The Brewers have lost several position players in recent days, as shortstop Cooper Pratt hit the IL on Sunday with a hamstring strain and Joey Ortiz is considered day-to-day with neck tightness. The team also lost prospect Jett Williams, who, in his first at-bat back from injury, re-injured his hand while swinging. Outfielder Sal Frelick is also out, though he's on his way back as he began a rehab ***** ignment over the weekend. Pitchers Joel Kuhnel (on rehab), JoJo Romero (mid- to late August), Rob Zastryzny (TBD), Brandon Woodruff (out for season), Brian Fitzpatrick (out for season), Quinn Priester (out for season), and Angel Zerpa (out for season) are all on the IL.
San Diego's injured list currently includes pitchers Joe Musgrove (on rehab), Nick Pivetta (exited rehab outing last week), David Morgan (on rehab), Jason Adam (late August or early September), Lucas Giolito (late August), Bryan Hoeing (out for season), and Yu Darvish (considering retirement). Outfielders Ramón Laureano (likely out for season) and Samad Taylor (close to a rehab ***** ignment) are also out, as well as utility man Miguel Andujar (late August).
Jake Bauers leads Milwaukee with 21 homers, though Jackson Chourio's four-homer week has him closing in with 21 on the season. Brice Turang, William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell, Andrew Vaughn, Christian Yelich, Ortiz, Luis Lara, and David Hamilton round out the regulars, with Brandon Lockridge, Gary Sánchez, and new addition Jihwan Bae serving as depth. As a team, the Brewers are hitting .253/.337/.398 (.735 OPS ranks seventh), with 109 homers (last), 585 runs (fifth), and 117 steals (fourth).
Despite an ice-cold start offensively, the Padres have turned it around a bit offensively in recent weeks. Manny Machado, who's hitting just .212 for the year, leads the team with 23 homers, good for a .420 slugging percentage. He's followed by Jackson Merrill (18 homers), Ty France (16 homers), Gavin Sheets (15 homers), and Fernando Tatis Jr. (11 homers). Xander Bogaerts, Luis Campusano, Freddy Fermin, Jake Cronenworth, recent former Brewer Luis Rengifo round out the regulars, with Austin Hays, Jase Bowen, and Sung-Mun Song, providing depth. As a team, the Padres are hitting .236/.313/.382 (.695 OPS ranks 25th), with 124 homers (20th), 497 runs (22nd), and 119 steals (third).

#homers #august #brewers #late

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a go-ahead, three-run homer and pinch-hitter Austin Hays connected for a two-run shot in his first at-bat with San Diego as the Padres beat the AL West-leading Houston Astros 7-2 on Sunday.
Jackson Merrill and Gavin Sheets also went deep for the Padres, who took two of three in the series and remained one game out of a National League playoff spot.
Randy Vásquez and three relievers combined on a two-hitter to help the Padres to their 12th victory in 16 games.
Vásquez (8-6) pitched five solid innings, retiring his final 10 batters after allowing Daulton Varsho's two-run homer with two outs in the second. It was Varsho's eighth home run this season and first since being acquired from Toronto before the trade deadline last Monday.
The Padres began their comeback in the bottom of the inning when Merrill homered to straightaway center field off Cristian Javier (1-3). It was Merrill's 18th.

#homer

It was set up to be a solid pitching matchup, with Astros SP Peter Lambert (entered game with 3.06 ERA) and Padres SP Michael King (entered game with 3.45 ERA) taking the mound today. Those two held up their end of the deal for a terrific matchup today at Petco Park.
The Astros offense, however, did not.
Houston's bats were held to just 5 hits while striking out 11 times in a game they were able to muster only 2 runs, as the fell to the Padres in San Diego 3-1.
Houston scored it's first run on a solo HR by Taylor Trammell in the 2nd. Trammell's 7th HR of the season tied the game at 1 after San Diego scratched a run against Lambert (L, 8-6) in the bottom of the 1st. It was the only run King (W, 7-8) would allow.
Two walks in the first inning sandwiching a hit let to a sacrifice fly by Jackson Merrill to score Fernando Tatis Jr. in the first to give the Padres the lead. Trammell's solo HR answered that run to tie the game at 1.

#Padres

Diamondbacks News
Diamondbacks Win Most Playoff-like Game of Season
The Diamondbacks took the series opener in tis final series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with playoff rankings for both teams still on the line.
Kelly's Cramping Issue Resurfaces Versus Dodgers
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly signaled to the dugout with two outs in the sixth inning after giving up a RBI single on Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, asking to be taken out of the game. The team later confirmed it was due to cramping in Kelly's right leg, making this the fourth straight season the issues have flared up.
Waldschmidt's Wild Walk-off Night
After the Diamondbacks lost starter Merrill Kelly to yet another cramping issue, they then lost the hard-earned lead over the division rival Dodgers. That brought Ryan Waldschmidt to the plate in the ninth with a runner on and Edwin Diaz looking to close out the game and earn the save for the Dodgers. Waldschmidt had other ideas and launched his second home run of his young career.
Other Baseball News

#diamondbacks

Baseball is a funny sport sometimes. There aren't very many sports or opportunities in life where you can get embarrassed and then come back less than 24 hours later to face the exact same team and completely flip the script and result of the two contests. Thankfully, baseball isn't most sports and that's exactly what the D-Backs were able to accomplish on Wednesday night, taking a shutout performance all the way into the top of the ninth while absolutely teeing off on San Diego pitching throughout the night. The victory not only gave the D-Backs some extra padding in their Wild Card lead, but also put them that much closer to securing the season series against the Friar's – an important tiebreak consideration as we enter the last quarter of the season and sprint towards the playoffs.
The starting rotation has been a weakness for the team throughout the season – led by disappointing results from Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen. That disappointment and weakness has opened the opportunity for a pair of rookies to make their case for a rotation spot in Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake, two of the three players the Rangers exchanged in the Merrill Kelly trade last season. The two rookies have had an uneven introduction to the big leagues in their first eight combined starts, but Bratt's sixth career start was a huge step forward, giving the youngster his first big league win. I don't want to overstate the performance. It's always impressive when a rookie is able to complete seven innings of scoreless baseball, regardless of the relative weakness of the opposing offense. But it's also not as if Bratt had pinpoint command of all of his pitches, throwing slightly more than half of his 92 pitches on the night for a strike.I think it's more accurate to describe the outing as effectively wild rather than wildly effective. Regardless, limiting the Padres to just three walks is an important developmental milestone for the young lefty whose walk rate has skyrocketed since making his debut and will be a closely watched development moving forward.
Of course, with the way the Arizona offense was cooking tonight, an effective position player could have likely earned a win on the mound. It was exactly the kind of balanced offensive attack that Torey Lovullo often preaches with valuable contributions coming from nearly every player in the lineup as seven out of nine of the starters got at least one hit or more. Even better, it didn't overly rely on a single method for scoring, but featured sacrifice flies, home runs, and timely hits with runners in scoring position. They got the party started in the third with a sacrifice fly from Gabriel Moreno scoring Corbin Carroll who had walked, stolen second, and moved to third already. Tim Tawa added another run on a two-out blast off a lifeless splitter, but it wasn't until the fourth that the party really started. After James McCann led off the inning with a harmless flyout, his teammates started a hit parade with five straight k

The San Diego Padres scored early and often in a convincing 9-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks to even the four-game series at a game apiece. It was their ninth win in the last 11 games, moving the Padres one game back of the Diamondbacks in the National League Wild-Card standings.
This sets up a crucial third game in the four-game set. The victor could gain much-needed momentum in securing the final playoff spot.
One of the catalysts in the Padres' ability to roar back into the Wild-Card chase has been their offense. Last night, the lineup erupted for 16 hits and nine runs in the road victory. Manny Machado was the hitting star with three hits and four RBIs. Jackson Merrill continued his hot streak with a three-hit night and two RBIs. Jake Cronenworth also contributed with three hits and an RBI.
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Since the All-Star break, the team's hitting numbers have been outstanding. The Friars have a team batting average of .291 with 139 hits and 20 home runs. The hope is the suddenly hot offense combined with improved starting pitching will help the club to gain more ground in the heated NL Wild-Card race.

#wild #four #diamondbacks #last

The big names for the San Diego Padres ambushed the Arizona Diamondbacks early, plating three runs in both the first and second innings, then powered through a late hiccup with a 9-4 win on Tuesday at Chase Field.
Manny Machado had a four-RBI night as he matched his season high as one of three Padres (59-55) with three hits, while Randy Vásquez had one of his strongest starts of the season. Despite allowing two or fewer runs in eight of his last nine starts, Diamondbacks (60-54) All-Star Eduardo Rodriguez got roughed up early.
San Diego's big bats combined for nine hits and five runs scored, as Jackson Merrill matched Machado with a trio of knocks while adding a pair of RBI. Merrill also joined Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Rengifo in coming across home to score twice as the Brown and Gold put up 16 hits — the Padres have notched all three of their 16 or more hit efforts since July 19.
It was backed up by Vásquez following up his 4 2/3 inning relief appearance on July 30 by pitching six complete for the sixth time and not surrendering a run for the third time when getting the nod. Geraldo Perdomo was the only D-back to touch him, getting singles in the first and fourth.
Tatis got to offense going right out of the gate with a lead off rocket-liner double down the third base line, then came home to score on Machado's one-out double. Then San Diego tacked on two more with two down, as Merrill singled to right and Machado beat out Corbin Carroll's throw to the plate. It allowed Merrill to take second, which was key when Xander Bogaerts cracked it back up the middle for an early 3-0 lead.

#hits #diamondbacks

PHOENIX (AP) — Manny Machado had three hits and four RBIs, Randy Vásquez threw six scoreless innings and the San Diego Padres jumped out to a big early lead in a 9-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night.
The Padres won for the ninth time in 11 games, moving one game behind the D-backs for the third and final National League wild-card playoff spot.
Jackson Merrill had three hits and two RBIs, while Jake Cronenworth also had a three-hit night. Vásquez (7-6) gave up just two hits and walked one while striking out one.
The Padres jumped all over All-Star Eduardo Rodríguez in the first inning with leadoff hitter Fernando Tatis Jr. starting the game with a double to left. Machado followed with an RBI double before Merrill and Xander Bogaerts added run-scoring singles for a 3-0 lead.
San Diego extended its advantage to 6-0 in the second, partly because of Arizona's sloppy defense. Jase Brown reached on a bunt single when there appeared to be confusion on who was covering first base and Ketel Marte's error on a grounder led to a pair of unearned runs.

#diego #merrill #jumped #lead

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jase Bowen hit his first major league homer, Ty France drove in three runs and three San Diego Padres pitchers combined on a two-hitter Friday night in a 7-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
San Diego (56-54) sits a game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the third and final National League wild card.
In the fourth inning, the 25-year-old Bowen launched a 384-foot solo drive to left field that put the Padres up 4-0. France added a two-run single later in the inning before capping the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
Manny Machado drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, and Luis Campusano extended the lead to 2-0 with an RBI single. Xander Bogaerts grounded into a double play that scored Jackson Merrill in the third.
Fernando Tatis Jr. got his 150th career stolen base in the fourth, swiping third for his 26th steal this year.

#inning #league #drove

SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. made a spectacular leaping catch to rob San Francisco's Rafael Devers of a three-run home run in the first inning Thursday night.
Devers did get a sacrifice fly, but Tatis added on to his impressive list of home run robberies.
Tatis tracked Devers' fly ball and leaped to get his glove high above the short wall in right-center at Petco Park to make the catch. He landed and tumbled onto his backside, but flipped the ball to center fielder Jackson Merrill, who tossed it into the infield.
Merrill helped Tatis to his feet and patted him on the chest. Pitcher JP Sears raised his left arm in celebration.
Tatis was an All-Star at shortstop in 2021 and was moved to right field in 2023, after missing the 2022 season with injuries and a PED suspension. He won the Gold Glove and Platinum Glove awards in 2023 and 2025.

#ball

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. went 5 for 5 with two RBIs in the first five-hit game of his career, and Xander Bogaerts' sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the San Diego Padres an 8-7 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.
Tatis became the first major leaguer with five singles in a game this season and the first Padres player to do it since Adrián González on Aug. 11, 2009.
Manny Machado had three hits for the Padres, including an eighth-inning single that was misplayed by right fielder Jake McCarthy for an error — allowing Jake Cronenworth to score the tying run.
San Diego loaded the bases against Jimmy Herget (0-4) with ***** ody out in the ninth on Jackson Merrill's leadoff single and two walks. Merrill scored on Bogaerts' fly to center field.
Mason Miller (3-1) struck out all three batters in the top of the ninth to keep it tied at 7.

#diego #Padres #game #inning