Over the first five months of his tenure as San Diego Padres manager, Craig Stammen offers the perfect poker face when answering questions about his team's play. But his unshakeable composure might be tested in the season's final month.
Coming off a memorable 21-7 hot streak out of the All-Star break, the Padres limped into September with a 2-7 mark in their last nine games. That recent slump has sparked restlessness among the Friar Faithful.
It has not been easy for Stammen to keep the Friars playing consistent baseball all season. He faces another challenge in seeking a path to a Wild Card berth.
Most of his upcoming decisions will not be easy, as they will center on the pitching staff. And Stammen's choices must put the team in position to win each night.
No question, the Friars have a reliable five-man starting rotation. Everyone is in relatively good health after early-season injuries nearly decimated the staff.

#stammen #craig

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 Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish is considering retirement, according to Padres general manager Craig Stammen.
Darvish is working his way back from ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) surgery he had in late 2025. He had Tommy John surgery in 2015.
Darvish last pitched in October 2025 during a wild-card playoff game against the Chicago Cubs. He has missed the entire 2026 season.
"He's been doing the normal Tommy John rehab — some of it at Petco, some of it not at Petco," Stammen said when talking on 97.3 The Fan earlier this week. "We see him here and there. He's on his own timeline. He still doesn't know if he really wants to come back, wants to retire, what his next role is within the organization. We're kind of letting him have his ***** e and do his thing, and right now he's throwing bullpens."

#john #petco #wants

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country.
It has been a season of opportunity for some of the players on the San Diego Padres roster. Some of those players have taken full advantage of their opportunity and that could result in more playing time, higher expectations or in some cases more money.
France signed with the Padres in the offseason on a minor league deal. He was promised nothing but an opportunity to make the team and the Gold Glove Award winner did that out of Spring Training. There was a time where he and Gavin Sheets and Nick Castellanos were all expected to share time at first base and France was thought to possibly be the odd man out. His play turned not only allowed him to outlast Castellanos on the San Diego roster, but it also cemented him into the No. 4 hole in the lineup. France has performed on defense and has provided production at the plate. He has 344 at-bats with 99 hits, 18 of which were home runs, for a .288 average. France also has 56 RBI, 44 runs scored and has even stolen a base.
Campusano finally got some regular playing time under new Padres manager Craig Stammen. The catcher finally had a manager who was going to allow him to play free and play often without the fear of being sent back to the minors the first time he hit a slump or failed to block a ball in the dirt. Campusano has responded with a solid season in which he has amassed 143 at-bats with 41 hits, five home runs, 23 RBI and 18 runs scored. He holds a .287 average on the season and has been able to catch and serve as the designated hitter throughout the season.
Buehler, like France, was only promised an opportunity. He got more of a chance than he thought when Joe Musgrove was unable to be ready to return to the mound following Tommy John surgery and Nick PIvetta went down with arm issues early in the season. Randy Vasquez started the season strong but quickly faded. Buehler has had some duds this season, but overall, he has been a consistent starter for a team that was limited to Michael King in terms of pitchers who could take the mound and instill confidence in the team and the fanbase. Buehler has appeared in and started 26 games in 2026. He has a record of 8-6 with a 4.63 ERA. He has thrown 126.1 innings and has 108 strikeouts over that span. He is 3-1 in his last seven games with a 2.89 ERA and has only gotten better as the regular season winds down.

#season #time #Opportunity

Mason Miller's unreal homerless streak came to an end in the top of the ninth inning at Petco Park on Tuesday night via a go-ahead solo shot from Oneil Cruz, the only run of the game in the San Diego Padres' 1-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Up until then, Miller hadn't given up a home run in over a calendar year.
After the game, Padres manager Craig Stammen summed up the rare misstep from baseball's most dominant closer in a few words.
"He's human," Stammen told reporters. "Part of the gig when you're pitching. Every once in a while, someone's gonna get you."
Or, as Miller put it when his manager's comments were relayed to him, "Humans can be idiots sometimes."
"Tip your hat," Miller told reporters. "Good swing. Crushed it obviously. But I just can't be throwing that pitch in that spot."

#miller

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The San Diego Padres' (71-62) offense was again non-existent against the Pittsburgh Pirates (65-69), who did just enough to squeeze out a 1-0 victory.
In what had been a scoreless game in the top of the ninth inning with two outs, Padres closer Mason Miller threw a 98 mph changeup that Oneil Cruz launched into right field. His 17th home run of the season gave the Pirates the game's only run.
"He's human," Padres manager Craig Stammen said.
Miller had the quote of the night.
"Humans can be idiots sometimes," Miller said. "Tip your hat. Good swing. Crushed it obviously. But I just can't be throwing that pitch (a changeup) in that spot."

#Padres #miller #diego #pittsburgh

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Right-hander Casey Mize of the San Diego Padres left Saturday night's game against the Minnesota Twins with a sprained right ankle with two outs in the third inning.
Mize, acquired from Detroit on Aug. 3, allowed three solo home runs in the first two innings. He apparently slipped going down the steps into the dugout after the top of the second.
Mize was checked by a trainer and manager Craig Stammen after throwing his warmup pitches in the third and stayed in the game. He got two outs and allowed a double by Ryan Jeffers before being lifted for Kyle Hart.
Mize allowed a leadoff homer to Luke Keaschall and then consecutive homers by Brooks Lee and rookie Kaelen Culpepper with two outs in the second.
The Padres entered the night holding the National League's third wild-card spot.

#diego

The San Diego Padres signed outfielder Austin Hays to a Major League contract on Sunday afternoon.
After San Diego signed Hays, Stammen almost predicted what would happen later in the game. The Padres manager said, "He's a good right-handed bench bat…one of those guys that, in his career, has hit lefty pitching really well. So he's somebody that we can bring in to pinch-hit against a tough lefty, or someone that we can start against a lefty."
A few hours later, Hays was pinch-hit to face left-handed pitcher Bryan King and hit his second home run of the season in his first plate appearance with San Diego, almost exactly as Stammen predicted when explaining the free agent signing.
Hays' number was called in the bottom of the eighth inning of Sunday night's game against the Houston Astros. There was a runner on first, and Hays hit a 371 ft. home run to left field to put his new San Diego team up 7-2, making quite the first impression.
Hays replaced designated hitter Gavin Sheets. Hays bats right-handed while Sheets hits lefty. Manager Craig Stammen made the substitution call with Houston bringing on southpaw Bryan King in relief.

#hays #Padres #sunday

The New York Yankees were only seen as a fringe contender for ace pitcher Tarik Skubal before his deal to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the Bronx Bombers could be losing out on a much more attainable target as well.
Skubal was dealt to the Dodgers in one of the biggest MLB trades in years, the first time since 2023 that a reigning Cy Young winner was dealt during the season. While the Yankees appeared to be fading in the Skubal sweepstakes, the team was seen as potential frontrunners for closer Mason Miller — before the tides turned on him as well.
The San Diego Padres were seen as reluctant sellers for their closer, who had just joined them on a major trade last season. Any lingering hopes the Yankees may have harbored to land Miller seemed to fade on Saturday, however.
As MLB.com reporter Cody Stavenhagen noted, the Padres made a seemingly decisive call on Miller's future.
"Another sign Mason Miller almost certainly isn't going anywhere: Two days before the trade deadline, Padres manager Craig Stammen has summoned his star closer for a five-out save attempt against the Giants," Stavenhagen noted. "Miller last went more than three outs on June 23, when he recorded a two-inning save versus the Braves."

#miller #skubal #mason #stavenhagen

Weird things happen when the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres get together, and tonight's game was one of many such occasions in the history of this rivalry. The first of two in San Diego had it all. Terrible defense, many different pitchers, chair interference, multiple ejections from the Padres' bench—including manager Craig Stammen—and finally a walk-off loss after more than three hours.
"We all kept going," manager Warren Schaeffer **** sed after the game. "Back and forth ballgame, really good big-league ballgame in terms of back-and-forth. Some big offensive moments. Two big at-bats for [Ezequiel Tovar] today. Big homer from [Mickey Moniak], Willi [Castro] — a couple of good walks from Willi, and Cole [Carrigg] just moving the line.
"Scoring 7 runs on the road, that's pretty good," he continued. "[We] scored against their bullpen a little bit, it's a really good bullpen. But then on the other side of the ball, we had four errors. Errors and walks, walks and errors. You're not going to win in the big leagues if you walk guys, especially late in the game and then you make errors in big moments."
Right-handed starter Michael Lorenzen was the first of many pitchers utilized by the Rockies in tonight's… let's call it "interesting" affair against the Padres. Lorenzen, despite a string of solid starts in recent memory, was looking to rebound after getting hammered hard by the Washington Nationals his last time out.
Instead, Lorenzen gave up a lot of contact in an inefficient start. He threw 93 pitches in just four innings while also giving up eight hits with a walk and only two strikeouts.

#good #Rockies

The San Diego Padres are conducting an exercise in "pitching chaos," and it's something of a last ditch effort. It's the ultimate version of desperation, perhaps, but it's also all they have.
Their most recent predecessors in this are the Detroit Tigers, who did it back to 2024, and they used an two-man rotation along with an ****** ortment of pitching flotsam and jetsam to make the postseason.
"I think they showed it's possible to do," said manager Craig Stammen, who actually opened a handful of games for the Padres earlier this decade, in a piece written by Dennis Lin of The Athletic. "Will we try to replicate that? Maybe some version of that, on some nights."
The Padres' pair of starters is Michael King and Walker Buehler, and Buehler has had more than his share of shaky outings. Bullpen coach Ben Fritz basically pre-scripts most of the games together with pitching coach Ruben Niebla, and they're hunting matchups while trying to limit exposure.
"Looking at personnel, looking at who you have and how we maximize our chances, we'd be foolish to not try something different," Fritz said.

#pitching #looking #games #diego

After a week straight of losing games, the San Diego Padres finally put one back in the win column. With their win on Sunday afternoon, the club staved off the sweep against the Los Angeles Dodgers. That, thankfully, put an end to the Friars’ eight-game losing streak. It has felt like much longer than that, but the club has started to look better. The last three games have felt especially healthy, despite San Diego being 1-2 in that span.
Starter JP Sears pitched four hitless innings against L.A. before giving up a single in the bottom of the fifth. Bench coach Randy Knorr, who replaced Craig Stammen after the latter was ejected in the first inning, decided to pull Sears for unknown reasons. San Diego’s starters have looked better lately. They’ll need to keep that up against the Arizona Diamondbacks heading into their final homestand before the All-Star break.
Pfaadt has been a solid back-end starter for Arizona, but he’s struggled lately. This season, the righty owns a 5.40 ERA through just 43 1/3 innings pitched. Pfaadt’s pitched better as of late, but he still owns a 4.50 ERA across his last 14 innings.
San Diego should have no problems tagging the righty for some runs. Jake Croneworth owns a lifetime .409 batting average against him (22 at-bats). Similarly, third baseman Manny Machado has a 1.061 OPS versus Pfaadt. Both will look to continue that success.
After completely turning his season around, Buehler had a setback in his last start. Buehler had given up just one run apiece in every start he made in June. Then came his last outing against the Chicago Cubs. Nine earned runs in just four innings of work. It was, by far, the righty’s roughest outing this season.

Jase Bowen was the hero of the game for the San Diego Padres in their series opening game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Monday night – until he wasn't. Bowen made a catch in shallow left field on a fly ball by Michael Busch with no outs and the bases loaded. After making the catch, Bowen made a one-hop throw to Freddy Fermin at the plate who applied the tag to complete the double-play and keep the score tied at 2-2. Seiya Suzuki followed with a ball into the left-field ivy covered wall that was just beyond the reach of Bowen which allowed Pete Crow-Armstrong to score to hand the Padres a 3-2 walk-off loss.
The irony of the situation was that San Diego manager Craig Stammen called on closer Mason Miller after Jason Adam allowed two runners to reach base in the bottom of the ninth inning. Miller was the best chance for the Padres to get swing-and-miss at-bats and hopefully empty outs from the Cubs. However, each of the Chicago hitters who faced the right-hander was able to put the ball in play.
San Diego had its chances to add to its two-run total, but instead the Padres turned in a 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position effort. The lack of runs scored resulted in a no decision for Griffin Canning who had his best start for San Diego in recent memory completing 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
The Padres will try to even the series with a win against the Cubs today at 5:05 p.m.
Padres News:

CHICAGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres activated Jake Cronenworth from the injured list on Monday after the veteran infielder was sidelined by a concussion.
The Padres also placed right-hander David Morgan on the 15-day IL with left knee inflammation. Right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez was recalled from Double-A San Antonio, and infielder Will Wagner was optioned to Triple-A El Paso.
The 32-year-old Cronenworth was in the starting lineup for the opener of a three-game series at the Chicago Cubs, batting ninth and playing second base. It was his first big league game since May 4.
“Great to have (Cronenworth) back,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “We missed him definitely. A guy that’s been a part of our team for a while and someone that’s just Steady Eddie, professional at-bat all the time and then great second baseman.”
Cronenworth was grazed on his jaw by a 96-mph fastball from Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi on April 18. He went 4 for 31 over his next 12 games before going on the IL with delayed symptoms from the concussion.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
San Diego Padres fans came into Spring Training knowing the pitching rotation was going to be without the services of Yu Darvish due to offseason surgery. There were questions about Randy Vasquez and his ability to perform consistently on the major league level, but the combination of Michael King and Nick Pivetta along with the return of Joe Musgrove was a promising top of the rotation.
Fast forward to this point in the season and not only have the Padres been without Darvish, but they have also not seen Pivetta due to injury, Musgrove has yet to even step on the mound in the regular season and Vasquez, who started hot, has looked like the Vasquez of a year ago with short outings, hard hit ****** and questionable command. San Diego general manager and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller tried to address the pitching depth issues, known and anticipated, while working with a restricted budget, but only Walker Buehler has performed well on a consistent basis. German Marquez made his way to the injured list but was not overly impressive before his IL stint and Matt Waldron never really threatened to take and hold a spot in the rotation.
Griffin Canning was signed in the offseason but was coming back from an Achilles injury. He performed well for the New York Mets a season ago before his injury and the hope was, he would return to form as a member of the San Diego rotation. That has not been the case. Canning has appeared in 10 games, has started eight and holds a 1-5 record with a 7.38 ERA. He has allowed 45 hits with 26 walks and eight home runs. Canning lasted just 0.2 innings against the Atlanta Braves after allowing four runs. Padres manager Craig Stammen has elected to use an opener the last two times out for Canning and the first rendition was successful with Canning throwing four-plus innings and allowing one run to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Lucas Giolito was signed after Spring Training and was expected to be a much-needed boost to the rotation. He has not been anything close to what was expected. His velocity is down, which makes his devastating changeup less effective and his command has been poor throughout his seven appearances with San Diego. Giolito currently holds a 2-3 record and a 5.16 ERA. He has allowed 33 hits and 23 walks with one home run allowed and has now landed on the injured list with right elbow inflammation.

Manager Craig Stammen announced in his pre-game media session on Tuesday, the promotion of LHP JP Sears to make his season debut with the San Diego Padres after the team placed starter Lucas Giolito on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation.
Stammen reported that Giolito spoke up about the soreness in his elbow after his last appearance against the Texas Rangers. It is reportedly similar to the soreness he felt last season before missing the rest of the year on the injured list. The Padres will push Randy Vásquez back a day, and Sears will start tomorrow against the Atlanta Braves, with Vásquez going the first game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Giolito joins Germán Márquez, Matt Waldron, Nick Pivetta, and Jhony Brito as starters on the injured list. Both Márquez and Brito are completing their work to return from injuries, with Brito pitching two days ago and Márquez nearing the end of his rehab ******* ignment. Waldron just began his rehab ******* ignment with El Paso this past week.
Giolito signed with the organization on April 22, making his season debut May 17 after an abbreviated ramp-up to the season. His velocity, diminished this season, sits 2-3 mph below his norm, and he has been hit frequently, pitching in 29.2 innings over seven games with a 5.16 ERA. The team has used an opener for him in his last two games.
Sears, acquired at the trade deadline last season, has a history as an innings-eater in his MLB career. His previous ERA, before pitching for the Padres, sat between 3.50 and 4.50 from 2022 to 2024. He finished last year with a 5.04 ERA overall, 4.95 with the Athletics before the trade and 5.47 in his five starts with the Padres.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- San Diego (40-37) earned a 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves (48-29) on Monday night thanks to the right arm of Michael King and the bat of Manny Machado.
The Padres opened a difficult homestand against the Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers, two of the strongest teams in the National League, and they needed strong performances from both players.
King entered the game coming off a rollercoaster five-start stretch in which he allowed six home runs. On Monday, however, he looked much more like himself.
“I think he's got something with the Braves that feels pretty good for him,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “Found his stuff tonight, had good fastball command, had the change up really working, sweeper was going good too. Anytime he gave up a hit, he got right back at the next couple hitters and got him out.”
King pitched seven innings, allowing six hits and no earned runs while striking out five. It was the first time he had not allowed an earned run since May 18 against the Dodgers.

BALTIMORE (AP) — The San Diego Padres placed catcher Freddy Fermin on the 7-day concussion injured list Sunday, one day after he was struck in the head with a warmup pitch in a game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Fermin was behind the plate when reliever Yuki Matsui bounced a throw in the dirt before the bottom of the sixth inning. The ball smacked Fermin in the side of the head, and he was forced to leave the game.
It wasn't the first time Fermin had been hit in the head this year, and the collective results of those mishaps contributed to the decision to put the catcher on the concussion list.
“He’s had a few head shots here over the course of this season so far, and (that was) just another one," manager Craig Stammen said Saturday. “He was a little woozy out there.”
The Padres selected the contract of catcher Blake Hunt from Triple-A El Paso. To make room for Hunt on the 40-man roster, pitcher Ty Adcock was designated for **** ignment.

San Diego Padres outfielder Ramón Laureano is expected to miss the remainder of the 2026 MLB season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip.
Laureano, 31, was the Padres’ primary left fielder this season, starting 42 games at the position. He also started seven games in right field. In 206 plate appearances, he compiled a slash average of .203/.286/.374 with seven home runs, six doubles, two triples, 21 RBI and seven stolen bases.
In May, Laureano had a .132/.244/.280 slash average in 83 PAs.
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The nine-year veteran was initially placed on the 10-day injured list with what was diagnosed as right hip inflammation. According to Padres manager Craig Stammen, Laureano struggled with hip issues during the past five seasons and previously received an injection to alleviate the problem.