Jonah Tong’s 2026 season didn’t quite go as planned.
Working through some tweaks to his arsenal and changes in his mechanics, the Mets’ top-ranked pitching prospect was knocked around a bit at the Triple-A level.
Between the majors and minors, he pitched to a 5.27 ERA over his first 22 outings.
Tong continued to battle his way through those struggles, though, and began finding his groove down the stretch in the minor league season. He finally earned himself another call back up to audition for a spot in the Mets’ rotation, and certainly gave himself an encouraging sample to build off of.
The right-hander enjoyed one of his best showings Saturday against the Nationals, closing his season by allowing just one run while striking out a career-high nine batters over five innings. He worked around trouble in the third, and held Washington just one walk and three hits.
“I thought it was great,” manager Andy Green said. “Really encouraged by it -- the changeup was back in the mix, I thought curveball was good, he won with the fastball up in the zone -- that’s a really good version of him and a great way for him to end the season.”
Despite the rough start to the year, the crafty 23-year-old certainly was able to close things out strong. He finished the campaign with a 2.36 ERA over his final eight appearances, and struck out a total of 27 batters across 20.2 MLB innings during the final month of the season.
Destined to battle for a spot in the big-league rotation during spring training, Tong will now look to use this late-season success as a springboard heading into what could be a long offseason.
"It’s one of those things where the moment is going to let you know," he said. “I’m not going to put pressure on myself, I'm up for the challenge -- I know where I’m at, I know what I need to do -- that’s the beauty of the offseason, I can just go out, compete, have fun, and let everything else take care of itself.”
Even if Tong doesn't make the team out of camp, Green expects him to play a big role.
"We've been forthright with him," the skipper explained. "What does an organization desperately need to win a World Series? You need guys that are six and seven starters that start the year in Triple-A that can come up and dominate -- you don't win a World Series with only five starters.
"In that case, his desires don't perfectly align with what our desires would be, because he wants to be here -- his job is to make it so freaking obvious to us that he deserves to be here that we can't make those types of decisions when he comes and competes in spring training," Green continued.
"He has a full understanding of what that landscape looks like, a full understanding of what makes sense for us, and the resolve to go prove that he belongs here -- long-term, I'm a huge believer in Jonah, I think he's going to be a huge piece for us moving forward."
The irony of this season for Fort Wayne is that the infusion of those players who excelled at Lake Elsinore didn’t really help them. They ended the season 56-74, last in the East Division of the Midwest League.
Infielder Justin DeCriscio finished with the best average of the players promoted, hitting .259 with a .759 OPS, nine home runs, and 39 RBI in 73 games.
Outfielder Jake Cunningham had hit 15 home runs with 35 RBI in 57 games when he was promoted to San Antonio. Center fielder Ryan Wideman, who did everything well in Lake Elsinore, struggled to do anything well for Fort Wayne and really slumped in extra-base hits, an area he excelled in with the Storm. In 44 games, he hit four doubles and no other XBH with a .559 OPS.
Outfielder Alex McCoy, who in less than two seasons (injured for part of 2025) reached Double-A and did well, played in 98 games for the TinCaps. He hit .268/.354/.468 with 15 home runs and 55 RBI. The 24-year-old undrafted free agent lists at 6-6, 275 pounds, but is not just a slugger. He runs amazingly well for a big man, finishing the season with 24 stolen bases in 33 attempts over two levels. McCoy was promoted to San Antonio for the final part of the season.
After Miguel Mendez and Kash Mayfield were traded at the deadline, the TinCaps were a bit thin at starting pitching.
RHP Carson Montgomery, in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, started 22 games before being promoted to Double-A. He had a 4.65 ERA in 93 innings with 80 strikeouts to 50 walks with Fort Wayne. Command was an issue at times, which is expected after TJ surgery.
RHP Winyer Chourio started nine games after his promotion to Single-A, finishing with a 6.15 ERA in 41 innings. He still had 48 strikeouts to 32 walks but also struggled with his command at times.
Japanese/American RHP Bryan Balzer has had his first full season as he comes back from Tommy John surgery and begins a career as a starting pitcher. He was primarily playing as an infielder in high school. Over two levels, both A-levels, Balzer started 21 games with 23 appearances total and pitched 98.2 innings. His combined ERA was 4.74 with 100 strikeouts to 48 walks. Balzer, the Padres’ No. 6 prospect, is only behind Schoolcraft and the recently drafted Coleman Borthwick in the Padres rankings per MLB.com.
Losing their most productive offensive player to Double-A seemed to hurt the TinCaps offense. After Cunningham left Fort Wayne, the offense was never as productive.
San Antonio Missions
Outfielder Alex McCoy played in 25 games for the Missions after his promotion from Single-A, and finished with a .314/.360/.467 line, including four homers and 16 RBI. It would not be a surprise to see a non-roster invite to 2027 spring camp in the future.
Outfielder Braedon Karpathios, another UDFA, tied with Tirso Ornelas for the home run lead on the team with 17. Karpathios had 73 RBI, compared to Ornelas’s 54. His .268/.353/.444 line is not good for a slugger, but the 162 strikeouts in 510 plate appearances will not get him to where he wants to go. At 23, he still has time to work on strike zone command as a hitter, but the fix needs to happen for him to hope for a major league call-up.
Outfielder Jake Cunningham, a free agent signed by the Padres out of the Orioles organization, started at Fort Wayne and hit himself into a promotion to San Antonio. In his 39 games before injury put him on the shelf, Cunningham had 13 XBH and 26 RBI with a .301/.370/.459 line. The 23-year-old should return to Double-A to start next season.
RHP Ian Koenig played most of 2026 with San Antonio. In 24 games started, Koenig had a 4.60 ERA in 121.1 innings pitched. He is a workhorse who had 98 strikeouts and 33 walks over those starts. He doesn’t feature electric stuff but has good command of his pitches. Another UDFA, Koenig could work out to be a back-end starter if he keeps progressing. He finished the season as the El Paso Chihuahuas’ best starter after a late promotion.
RHRP Francis Peña had a bad end to 2025 and a slow start to 2026. A reliever who was a top 20 prospect at the start of last season, Pena finished that season with a 4.99 ERA for El Paso. He pitched 59 innings for the Missions with a 3.05 ERA and was an opener for one game. His return to form could prove helpful if he can stay consistent. His sinker/slider combo requires good control to allow him to play in MLB.
El Paso Chihuahuas
The Chihuahuas were the last affiliate to finish their season. They played against the best team in their division to end the year, losing four of the six games.
The biggest plus to the season for the Chihuahuas was being a proving ground for all the players A.J. Preller signed to supplement the Padres’ roster. Or at least that is the way it turned out.
El Paso finished 30 games under .500, and no wonder. Their roster was in flux for the whole year as players came and went after signing, being promoted or demoted, being released and resigned, and just about every other move that could be made.
They hosted rehabbing big leaguers on multiple occasions and had their early-season success torpedoed when San Diego needed all their good players due to underperformance or injury.
Every Padres fan should be grateful to El Paso for suffering through a season unlike any other that I can remember for the Triple-A franchise.
IF/OF Nick Solak, catcher Carlos Rodriguez, IF Mason McCoy, and IF Marcos Castanon played the season as the only consistent Chihuahuas on the offensive side.
RHP Evan Fitterer started 20 games and finished the season with a 4.06 ERA, remarkably good for the league. He had 64 strikeouts in 95.1 innings pitched. LHP JP Sears did not fare as well. In 85.1 innings pitched and 20 starts, Sears ended with a 7.49 ERA with 87 strikeouts.
Both Ian Koenig and LHP Jagger Haynes got late-season promotions to Triple-A. Koening had five starts with a 2.33 ERA in 27 innings, while Haynes pitched 40.1 innings with a 5.80 ERA.
El Paso played host to the Padres’ top prospect, catcher Ethan Salas, for 17 games before his promotion to the big leagues. At the time, it wasn’t clear why the organization would need to promote Salas to Triple-A. He was clearly ready, if they wanted to test him during the playoff run for the big club.
After his promotion, the reason for his brief appearance in Triple-A became clear. Salas needed exposure to the ABS system before joining the Padres. Those 17 games provided a base of knowledge that has proven very useful for the young catcher in his early MLB career.
There will be lots of movement this offseason for the Padres minor league system. Multiple players are reaching the end of control for the organization while others were signed as free agents and will need their contracts renegotiated. Outfielder Jake Cunningham has already signed for next season.
Even some of their top 30 prospects are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this December and their future with the organization is to be determined.
Arizona Fall League
Not an actual minor league team, the Arizona Fall League is an instructional and development league used to give extra work to players who are coming back from injury and to players who need to transition into different roles or into professional baseball.
It is comprised of six teams; five MLB teams contribute players to each team roster. The Padres play on the Peoria Javelinas with the Peoria Sports Complex as their home field. Games begin Oct. 3 and continue through the end of their regular season on Nov. 4.
The Padres are sending five pitchers and three position players to play for Peoria.
There will be a full preview before the season begins.
Sep 25, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) runs towards third base during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The penultimate game of the Dodgers regular season is upon us.
The Mets received some good news on Juan Soto after he was forced to leave Saturday's game following a HBP.
Andy Green said Soto got dinged up good, but X-rays came back negative.
The All-Star outfielder is dealing with a right hand contusion, and Green doesn't know yet if he'll be back in the lineup for Sunday afternoon's season finale.
Soto, of course, was struck by former Mets lefty Richard Lovelady in the top of the ninth.
He appeared to be in immediate discomfort, shaking his hand out for several moments before making his way back to the dugout alongside Green and Mets trainers.
Nick Morabito replaced Soto on-base and then in the field.
Soto enjoyed himself a strong day at the plate before leaving with the injury, reaching base three times with a pair of well-struck singles and then the HBP.
If he isn't able to work his way back into the lineup for Sunday's finale, he'll end the season hitting .278 with 27 homers, 68 RBI, and a .919 OPS across 110 games.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - SEPTEMBER 13: Matt Wilkinson #71 of the San Francisco Giants pitches during the game between the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Sunday, September 13, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Bryan Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Well folks, for worse and most certainly for better, the season is almost over. It’s time for the penultimate game of the 2026 campaign for the San Francisco Giants, who host the playoff-bound Los Angeles Dodgers.
For San Francisco, lefty Matt Wilkinson makes the final appearance of his debut season. The 23-year old nicknamed “Tugboat” has made seven appearances and five starts this year, and is 1-3 with a 3.65 ERA, a 4.24 FIP, and 18 strikeouts to four walks in 24.2 innings. Tugboat was excellent his last time out, tossing five shutout innings against this same Dodgers team.
For LA, it’s former Giant Blake Snell. The two-time Cy Young Award-winning lefty has made just eight starts in his second season with the Dodgers, and is 4-1 with a 1.86 ERA, a 1.73 FIP, and 52 strikeouts against 16 walks in 38.2 innings. Snell made one start early in the year, then missed a few months; since returning, he’s yet to give up multiple runs in a game.
Enjoy the baseball, everyone. You’ll miss it when it’s gone, as hard as that is to believe.
Jonah Tong | (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
The Mets failed to score in the first six innings of their game against the Nationals this afternoon, but with the team trailing 1-0 in the top of the seventh, A.J. Ewing’s three-run home run turned the game on its head. And Ronny Mauricio made it back-to-back home runs right after that, giving the Mets a 4-1 lead.
Brett Baty, who notably started at shortstop today while Francisco Lindor served as the team’s designated hitter, single in the top of the eighth, prompting an error by Nationals shortstop Nasim Nuñez that allowed Carson Benge to score the team’s fifth run of the day.
Mauricio hit another home run, a two-run shot in the top of the ninth while hitting right-handed after hitting his first home run while batting left-handed. Those two home runs weren’t enough to salvage his major league stat line for the season, but if that’s how he ends the season, it’s a good note on which to do so.
Jonah Tong fared very well in his final start of the season, as he gave up just the one aforementioned run, struck out nine, walked one, gave up three hits, and threw 87 pitches in five innings of work. It’s a small sample, certainly, but Tong finishes the major league portion of his season with a 3.82 ERA and a 3.30 FIP in 30.2 innings. And while Mets manager Andy Green made it clear before the game that Tong is not guaranteed a spot in the rotation heading into the 2027 season, as a fan, you’d much rather see Tong put up the numbers that he did this year than the ones he did when he was called up late in the 2025 season.
The Mets’ bullpen was great, too, with Dedniel Nuñez striking out three in a scoreless sixth inning before Nate Lavender, Devin Williams, and Tobias Myers threw one scoreless inning each. And none of them allowed a hit.
With that, the Mets’ disappointing, underwhelming, last-place-in-the-division season comes to its conclusion tomorrow afternoon at 3:05 PM EDT. And as bad as things have gone, we’ll be longing for more Mets baseball—and better results—very soon after that game ends.
Big Mets winner: A.J. Ewing, +44% WPA Big Mets loser: Brett Baty, -12% WPA Mets pitchers: +27% WPA Mets hitters: +23% WPA Teh aw3s0mest play: A.J. Ewing hits a three-run home run in the top of the seventh, +49% WPA Teh sux0rest play: Brett Baty strikes out in the top of the fourth, -8% WPA
TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer said Saturday he will wait until the offseason to decide whether he wants to play a 20th major league season in 2027.
Scherzer is expected to start on short rest against Cincinnati in Sunday’s season finale, a chance to pitch in front of his family for the final time this year.
A two-time World Series champion and three-time Cy Young Award winner, Scherzer is 3-9 with a career-worst 6.14 ERA in 17 starts this season. He went 5-5 with a 5.19 ERA in 17 starts with the Blue Jays in 2025.
The 42-year-old has a career record of 224-126 in 500 games, including 491 starts. He started at Baltimore in the first game of a doubleheader last Wednesday, allowing four runs in five innings. Scherzer struck out seven, boosting his career total to 3,550.
Last month, Scherzer moved into ninth place on the career strikeout list with a 10-strikeout game against Seattle, passing Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry. It was the first time this season and 115th time in his career that Scherzer had fanned 10 or more in a game.
Scherzer’s former teammate Justin Verlander is the only other active pitcher with more than 3,500 strikeouts. Verlander had 3,554 heading into his final career start against Pittsburgh on Saturday. The 43-year-old Verlander announced in July that this would be his final year.
Arizona’s first-round pick in the 2006 draft, Scherzer debuted with the Diamondbacks in 2008. He has also pitched for Detroit, Washington, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets and Texas.
An eight-time All-Star, Scherzer won his first World Series title with the Nationals in 2019. He got another ring with the Rangers in 2023.
Scherzer started Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers last November, the 33rd postseason appearance of his career. He pitched 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball and left to a rousing ovation from Toronto fans, but the Blue Jays lost 5-4 in 11 innings.
The Mets homered three times to defeat the Nationals 7-1 on Saturday afternoon in D.C.
Here are some takeaways..
-- First pitch was bumped from 4:05 p.m. to 12:35 p.m. due to inclement weather in the forecast. There was some rain falling during the early innings, and the wind was whipping at Nationals Park from the get-go, as numerous balls hit in the air were blown back to the infield dirt from the outfield grass.
-- Jonah Tong struck out four batters over the first two innings before running into trouble in the third. A HBP, single, and wild pitch put two in scoring position with nobody out, but Carson Benge made another tremendous catch and Tong's fifth and sixth K's helping him escape with just one run against.
The young right-hander allowed a leadoff single in the fourth then settled into a groove to end his day strong. Tong retired the next six hitters he faced through the fifth, closing his line with just the one run allowed on three hits and a walk while striking out a career-high nine batters on 85 pitches.
Tong pitched to a 3.81 ERA across seven big-league outings this season.
-- The Mets' offense was held in check by Connelly Early and Jake Irvin over the first six innings, but they were finally able to jump in front in the seventh. New York saw their eight and nine hitters, A.J. Ewing and Ronny Mauricio, go back-to-back with two out blasts to make it a 4-1 ballgame.
-- Mauricio wasn't done there, as he left the yard again in the ninth, this time lifting a two-run shot from the right-side of the plate. It was just the 25 year old's third homer in the majors this season, and his first career multi-homer game.
-- The bullpen was solid working behind Tong. Dedniel Nunez earned the victory after striking out the side in his scoreless inning, Nate Lavender followed that with a perfect inning of his own, then Devin Williams had a strong second outing back from injury, before Tobias Myers put on the finishing touches.
Mets pitchers retired 16 consecutive Nats in order from the fourth to one out in the ninth.
-- Brett Baty had to wait seven innings before getting an opportunity in his first start at shortstop, but he handled it smoothly, cleanly fielding a routine grounder before throwing Keibert Ruiz out at first. Baty botched his second opportunity, booting a grounder on the backhand in the ninth.
-- Benge not only continued building his Rookie of the Year case in the field, he also did so with the bat. The sweet-swinging lefty has three more hits on the afternoon -- singling in the fourth, singling again leading off the seventh, then busting out of the box a hustle double in the eighth.
-- It wasn't all good news for the Mets in this one, as Juan Soto was forced to leave the game in the top of the ninth after being hit by a Richard Lovelady pitch on the right hand. Soto was in some clear discomfort before making his way off the field alongside the Mets' trainers.
Soto reached base three times before leaving, singling twice to go along with the HBP.
Game MVP: Ronny Mauricio
Mauricio took full advantage of the rare big-league start, recording his first multi-homer game.
Jun 14, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) talks to his teammate during the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - SEPTEMBER 25: Jacob Degrom #48 and Danny Jansen #9 of the Texas Rangers look on against the Minnesota Twins in the second inning at Target Field on September 25, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
First Pitch: 3:10 pm CDT TV: Twins.TV Radio: TIBN / WCCO 830 / The Wolf 102.9 FM / Audacy
Last night, you got Joe Ryan and Jacob deGrom. This afternoon, you get Bailey Ober and Nathan Eovaldi. After another full season of Saturday previews, all I can tell you is that after last night’s veteran matchup resulted in whatever competitive remnants of the Twins lineup whomping a multi-time Cy Young Award winner, I throw up my hands in telling you what to expect out of today’s game.
In his final start of 2026 (unless a half-dozen American League teams are erased from our timeline before the postseason starts), Bailey Ober will attempt to keep his ERA+ at 100 or better in order to statistically cement a cobbled-together, league-average season of 25 starts. This year, Ober crossed double-digit career bWAR in his sixth season with the Twins, and proved that maybe there’s a little X-factor involved in being a proven mid-rotation starter.
There is also reason to believe that this winter’s roster crunch could see the physically-declining Ober non-tendered if the Twins deem his short-term outlook not optimistic enough to warrant the price tag on a final year of arbitration. If true, it calls to mind the feeling of last September, when the Twins’ organizational direction was an enormous question mark, and every game felt like it could be the last time you saw [insert Twin here.]
For now, though, we get to enjoy the Bearded Nightmare as he takes the bump on a gloomy final Saturday of the 2026 season.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 20: Mauricio Dubon #14, Ozzie Albies #1 and Mike Yastrzemski #18 of the Atlanta Braves celebrate a three-run home run during the sixth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on September 20, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Joe Buvid/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Join us and discuss today’s game in the comments below!
Game Info
Game Date/Time: Saturday, September 26, 4:10 p.m. ET
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 12: Julio Rodríguez #44 of the Seattle Mariners looks on from the dugout between innings against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on September 12, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Julio Rodríguez has a new favorite phrase in English, one he said a couple of times at a pregame media availability on Friday: the devil’s in the details. Interestingly, it’s a newer phrase, not appearing in Bartlett’s until the latter half of the 20th century, likely as a permutation on a saying most notably linked to the fussy, fastidious German architect Mies van der Rohe that “God is in the details.”
Today, “the devil’s in the details” is a cautionary phrase, warning against how seemingly insignificant details can mushroom in importance and ruin an enterprise. It’s not an inapt way to look at the 2026 Seattle Mariners season.
While there were disappointments up and down the roster – Julio’s loss of roughly half the wins he accrued last year wasn’t even the biggest delta change on the roster, a dubious distinction belonging to Cal Raleigh – it was still a huge step back for Seattle’s 25-year-old centerfielder, who posted his worst season by wRC+ and lowest power numbers since 2024, when he lost over two weeks to an ankle sprain.
This year it was a concussion that zapped Julio’s value, holding him back from his typical late-season push. Julio has finished the second half strong his entire career:
Obviously, the pre- and post- concussion numbers are essentially baked into that data, since the injury occurred on July 3, but just to break them out specifically:
Julio pre-concussion: .259 average, .424 slugging, 21% K, 117 wRC+ Julio post-concussion: .239 average, .383 slugging, 24% K, 93 wRC+
Julio declined to divulge all the details of how the concussion affected him, but said it was a “new and different” experience that he had to adjust to on the fly.
“It’s something that —when you play a game where you have to react, be sharp, and that has to do a lot with balance and your eyes and all that, it’s definitely different.”
“Being through that process has shown me how much I actually use my brain to hit, and how much my body actually goes through while I’m playing baseball. It made me appreciate the things I do a little bit more, grateful for the talent and all the things I get to do on the baseball field. Because what we do is not normal, and it’s not normal for the human body to be doing it at this level. And I’m just grateful that I got back on the field, and that I got to play again.”
What professional athletes do is not normal, but Julio is adamant this won’t be his new normal. While he’s pleased with his preparation and ability to stay healthy overall – the concussion notwithstanding, and certainly not his fault – he’s not happy with the results, saying his big takeaway from this season is learning to pay attention to details.
“There’s a lot of little things I could have done better, personally…Results-wise, I feel like I could have done more. I could have done more, I could have impacted the team a little bit more.”
“I know we cannot control results. This is a game of process and all that, but I believe in my talent. I believe in the the way that I play the game, and I just think I have more in the tank. I feel I have more, and that’s something that I’m gonna try to bring more of next year.”
One thing that has been a constant for Rodríguez even when his bat is slower to heat up is his defense. Once tagged as a big-bodied corner outfielder/DH type, Julio dedicated himself to improving his speed and defense. While his stolen base numbers did decline slightly this season – also a career-worst but still over 20, giving him his fifth consecutive 20-20 season and making him the first player in MLB history to start his career with five consecutive 20-20 seasons – his defense, for the first time, looked porous. In each of his four previous seasons, Rodríguez ranked in the top 10% or better for center field defense by Statcast’s Fielding Run Value; this year, he’s fallen below the 40th percentile. The eye test has agreed with his poor defensive numbers: there have been multiple instances this season where Rodríguez’s play in center hasn’t looked anything like his past self. He’s been tentative on certain fly balls, overly aggressive on others, and other times has just flat out lost the ball while trying to track it, plays he would have made easily in other years.
Reading over his comments about the concussion, specifically the ones about reaction time and using your eyes, points toward the fact that even when returned from the concussion IL, his ability to process and track balls and MLB speeds was negatively impacted. But Rodríguez also says he got away from his defensive approach – maybe leading to him being caught in-between on some of those fly balls – and needs to refocus this off-season on what he knows works for him.
“Just getting back to the basics,” he said when asked about how he – and the team as a whole – can improve defensively. “I feel like that’s what it is for me. I tried some things, didn’t work out, and then I got back to my basics, the things I do really well on defense, and feel like that helped me to even it out a little bit.”
“Team-wise, we need to continue to bring the focus in, continue to take care of the little things. We all know that we’re better than this. We all know it, and it didn’t show. Now, it’s about how we respond. Progress isn’t linear, and I do believe you have to struggle in order to realize who you are, and then what do you do about that?”
Those devilish details again. In addition to the defense, Rodríguez also noted what went wrong for him offensively, and how he tried to turn his season around.
“I wish I had the answer right right then and there. But I feel like with time, you know, it kind of showed me. I started being a little bit more late. I started chasing a little bit around the zone. Little things here and there. I feel like that’s what got me away [from my approach].”
“But like I said, we had a lot of lessons [as a team], and I’m looking forward to putting things in motion. The things I learned this year to try to be better for next year.”
Like his teammates, Julio looks forward to starting fresh next year and putting this miserable season behind them. One of the biggest lessons he and his teammates learned? Past success doesn’t guarantee future results. Maybe the pre-season noise about how winnable the AL West was caused the team as a whole to look too far in advance, take things for granted.
“At the end of the day, you can be as good as you were like last year, but each year is a new year. I have learned this,” said Rodríguez. “This this is my fifth season. I have learned that it doesn’t matter what you did the year before, the game is gonna touch you differently. It doesn’t matter how you prepare; the game is always gonna have a new a new question for you.”
“You know, when you focus so far ahead, you can miss some little details. There’s a saying that the devil’s in the details, and I think that’s true. It’s something that I had to learn personally for myself too, and we all should continue to focus on and get better.“
Even with the disappointing season, Rodríguez says he believes in the team and their talent level. The job now is to pick themselves up and understand why this happened and how to stop it from happening again.
“When you get hit in the mouth, you either cover up or you do something about it. That’s what happened to us. We got hit in the mouth. So how do we respond to that? And I do believe we have the pieces. I do believe we’re gonna be doing the right things to to ascend from this. But it’s all about that response.”
“Nobody can avoid getting hit, in life or in baseball. It doesn’t matter where it’s at. But it’s how you take that hit and continue to move forward. That’s what sets people apart.”
As for how this can this team move forward and fix its lackluster execution, Julio has his new mantra in mind.
“The devil’s in the details,” he repeated, taking care to emphasize each word.
“Take care of the details, and I feel like everything is going to be fixed. Stop waiting for things to happen. Actually do the things I live for that creates those those opportunities. Take care of the little details, and you’re gonna be fine.”
The devil’s in the details. Maybe, as Van der Rohe was fond of saying, God is, too.
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 29: A general view of the Nike sneakers worn by Kazuma Okamoto #7 of the Toronto Blue Jays against the Washington Nationals during the eighth inning at Nationals Park on July 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Game 161. Are there any other sports that play 162 games in a season? Can you imagine if MLB played just 17 games a season? It would be a whole different spot.
So, I had a night last night. Men’s Night Out, a charity thing for my wife’s church. I’m the least religious person you’ll ever meet, but this is for a very worthy charity. And there are drinks. I’ve gone with friends for the last few years. They put on a very good meal, and silent auction, door prizes and raffles.
All was good, until I had a cigar, along with my scotch. I have one cigar a year, and it has never bothered me before. But, last night, i had to sit for awhile. It is possible I’m getting old. I always thought that only happened to other people.
It has been that sort of year. Hurt my back playing squash, I’ve never hurt my back before. Tore ligaments in my foot playing tennis, never done that. Thought it was all healed, then played squash last week and found out otherwise.
Anyway, enough complaining.
Today’s lineups:
Today’s Lineups
REDS
BLUE JAYS
Carlos Jorge – CF
Brett Bateman – CF
Elly De La Cruz – SS
Nathan Lukes – RF
Sal Stewart – 1B
Vladimir Guerrero – DH
Eugenio Suarez – DH
Alejandro Kirk – C
JJ Bleday – LF
Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
Tyler Stephenson – C
Sean Keys – 1B
Hector Rodriguez – RF
Josh Smith – LF
Juan Brito – 3B
Andres Gimenez – SS
Matt McLain – 2B
Ernie Clement – 2B
Rhett Lowder – RHP
Trey Yesavage – RHP
Go Jays Go.
"There's just nothing better than that. That’s baseball at its pinnacle… That's just a lifelong memory. That's a baseball memory."
After struggling offensively and patching together a pitching staff, the San Diego Padres hit their stride shortly after the All-Star break. Playing under .500 baseball up to July 23 (50-53), the Friars have a 39-17 record since then. The MLB trade deadline brought in two starting pitchers who have not dominated since their arrival but have helped stabilize the rotation. Nick Pivetta’s return gave the organization a third starter, joining Michael King and Walker Buehler as bulldogs at the start of the rotation.
With that, the offense figured it out, and the stars are playing like stars, with the role players making big contributions. Sweeping the Miami Marlins to start the week, the Padres took two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers in Chavez Ravine to clinch a Wild Card spot for the third straight season and for the fifth time in the past seven seasons.
They now return home to play the Arizona Diamondbacks, but not for a playoff spot. Their results against the D-backs will be part of a series of games to determine ranking in the Wild Card race and home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The Chicago Cubs played a day-night doubleheader against the Red Sox in Boston, with the threat of a nor’easter complicating their games. The Cubs were swept by the Red Sox in those two games. Heading into the weekend the Padres had to match the Cubs in wins to hold onto their top Wild Card spot and host the Wild Card round for the NL.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are playing for their playoff lives, still one game back of the Philadelphia Phillies with two games left to play. The Padres could have clinched home-field for the Wild Card Series had they beat the Diamondbacks in the first game of their series.
Primetime Ethan Salas
The Padres did what many in baseball thought was a bad idea. They promoted 20-year-old top prospect Ethan Salas to the major leagues on Sept. 1. Bringing a rookie into a playoff race is a gamble at best. Bringing a 20-year-old catcher into a playoff race could be viewed as foolhardy.
Salas went 0-for-15 to begin his big league career. He struck out, flew out, and grounded out through those at-bats while making adjustments to MLB pitchers. Since that inauspicious start, Salas is 8-for-20 with a triple, two home runs, and five RBI. He has also guided the pitchers through some sticky at-bats while being more effective than he has any right to be with his ABS challenges.
Salas played 17 games with Triple-A El Paso before being summoned to San Diego. That was his only exposure to the ABS system before starting for the Padres. In his 14 challenges, he has won nine while saving his pitchers from multiple tight spots. He flipped base-on balls three times and got a strike call on a previously called ball in a very important spot.
Challenging a David Morgan called ball that would have walked Shohei Ohtani in a bases-loaded situation, Salas correctly identified a strike, and Morgan ultimately struck Ohtani out. That was a turning point in the win on Wednesday.
Far from being in a situation too big for him, Salas is now prompting many to think he should be the starting catcher for the first round of the playoffs.
The youngest player in the major leagues, Salas was not legally allowed to drink the alcohol poured on him during the Padres postgame celebration in the Dodgers’ visiting clubhouse after clinching their spot. Sparkling Martinelli’s clutched in hand, Salas was doused in beer and champagne as his teammates celebrated with him.
His first hit on Wednesday night broke the no-hitter that Tyler Glasnow had going in the sixth inning, scoring on a Dustin Harris sac fly. He followed that up by driving in the winning run in the seventh inning with a single, Xander Bogaerts scoring. He was a key contributor in the series win with his bat and his defense. His teammates celebrated his first playoff experience during their postgame party.
Big-time Tatis
Fernando Tatis Jr. has had a remarkable season for the Padres. After infamously going until May 30 without a home run, Tatis caught fire. Hitting 25 homers since then, Tatis sits third on the team behind Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill. His 82 RBI is also third, behind the same two players. Since the All-Star break, Tatis is hitting .308/.386/.615 with a 1.001 OPS.
Pushing the envelope, Tatis has upped his stolen base total to 38, the most on the team. Like many of his teammates, Tatis has scorched the baseball in September. His batting average of .341 is his best for any month this season, with a 1.088 OPS while hitting two doubles, a triple, eight homers, and amassing 15 RBI.
Second-half offense
Tatis and Jackson Merrill have led the team offensively in the ceremonial second half. They have been supported by multiple standouts around them. As a result, the Padres offense has gone from being the worst in MLB for a large portion of the first half to being a top two team since the break while hitting .267 with a .777 OPS.
The pitching has three strong starters, more than enough for a short series. The bullpen, with the return of Jason Adam to supplement the already lethal arms, could be considered the most accomplished in the playoffs.
The Padres rank third in the majors since the break with 5.12 runs scored per game. The offense’s remarkable turnaround highlights the organization’s philosophy of playing better as the season goes on. Although hard on the Friar Faithful, the first-half Padres have consistently struggled while the second-half Padres inevitably turn it on.
The last hurdle to leap is sustaining that offense through the playoffs. All Padres fans remember the remarkable lack of offensive production that has occurred at some point in the playoffs over the past two seasons.
Home field advantage
The Padres are 49-30 at home. Their road record is 40-41; that is a significant improvement over their eight games under .500 from just a month ago. Only the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, and Dodgers have better home records, all of them division winners. There is no better home environment in baseball than Petco Park. The team thrives on the energy sent to them from the stands filled with the Friar Faithful.
Mason Miller, speaking with reporters after the win against the Dodgers on Wednesday, acknowledged their desire to play their Wild Card series at Petco Park.
“Just trying to get a home playoff series at Petco. We know how special that place is.”
There is also a big financial advantage to the team with a home series. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune detailed the expense of a traveling party for a Wild Card series away from home versus the benefits reaped from playing at home.
Sending the team and the party that accompanies them is about a $1 million expense. Playing at home, with the accompanying revenue created, equals an approximate $3 million profit for the team. It’s not too difficult to figure out which the Padres prefer.
Pitching preferences
Michael King told the hitters he didn’t want to pitch this weekend. Quoted by Kevin Acee in his Thursday Padres newsletter, King made his preference clear.
“I told them I’d be really mad on Sunday if I had to pitch. So it’s very fun to not have to gameplan for the Diamondbacks and plan for whoever we got.”
Casey Mize and Walker Buehler were slated to start the first two games versus the D-backs. The game on Sunday will likely be a bullpen game that should include Rándy Vásquez. Mize has been less than dominant for the Padres with a 6.64 ERA and that continued with the series-opening loss on Friday.
King will start the first game of the Wild Card Series, with Nick Pivetta and Walker Buehler lining up nicely to follow, as needed.
Roster moves and injury updates
Jason Adam returned to the team for the Dodgers’ games and pitched on Thursday for three outs. Manager Craig Stammen stated a desire to find a soft landing spot for Adam but that wasn’t possible with the Dodgers’ series. Coming in to get the last out in the fifth inning with one pitch, Adam got two more outs in the sixth before leaving the game after throwing five pitches.
Griffin Canning was sent to the Arizona complex while Alek Jacob was DFA’d to make room on the 40-man roster for Adam.
Gavin Sheets and Miguel Andujar were both with the team in LA for the clinching of a playoff spot. Both are ready to be activated, and the Padres have signaled that Sheets will be the first to see action. No roster moves have occurred yet.
Luis Rengifo, who had surgery on his torn ACL, was in the clubhouse celebrating with his teammates on Thursday night. Sporting a crutch while he danced and partied, Rengifo had plastic wrap on his surgically repaired leg.
Joe Musgrove reportedly is throwing on a regular basis but has not been able to ramp up to bullpens. There is no stated plan for what is ahead for Musgrove.
Rámon Laureano has been in Arizona working on his rehab but will not be ready for any playing time this season.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 23: Dalton Rushing #68 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on during the game against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium on September 23, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers on Friday activated Dalton Rushing from the injured list on Friday as expected, in a last-ditch effort to get him some potential pinch-hitting opportunities to prepare for what would be his role if he’s active at all in October.
Rushing ideally would have been the Dodgers’ backup catcher in October, coming off a fine first full major league season. He filled in as the main catcher for two months while Will Smith was sidelined with a neck injury. Rushing is hitting .249/.332/.466 with 12 home runs. Among the 51 major league catchers with at least 200 plate appearances this season, Rushing’s 120 wRC+ ranks seventh.
In the Dodgers’ last 49 games, Rushing has played in five of them, batting a total of eight times, without a hit.
“The circumstances of his situation, it’s just tough. To be hurt, be back, then to be hurt again, and then to take three pinch-hit at-bats potentially and then to say, ‘Hey, you’re in the roster,’” manager Dave Roberts said of Rushing on Thursday. “But what he’s done for us this year certainly deserves some consideration. That’s kind of giving him the respect and thoughtfulness for what he’s done for us.”
Switch-hitter Alex Freeland was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City to make room for Rushing. Freeland was called up on September 1 and played in 17 of the 22 games for which he was active, including 10 starts, hitting .250/.413/.389. On the season, Freeland led the Dodgers with 67 starts and 579 defensive innings at second base, and hit .234/.327/.325 with an 86 wRC+, including .253/.351/.354 with a 101 wRC+ as a left-handed hitter.
The timing of Freeland’s option means his 10 days won’t be up in time to make the Division Series roster. But one would imagine he’d be in consideration for October option should the need for an infielder arise.
