The San Diego Padres pulled off another improbable victory, despite it seeming like a game they had little chance of winning. Over the past week, the team has staged remarkable comebacks, this time erasing a 5-1 deficit to take a one-run lead heading into the ninth inning. Closer Mason Miller was called upon to secure five outs and succeeded, though not before allowing a game-tying homer.
In the 10th inning, some thrilling moments unfolded as David Morgan struck out the first two batters and then induced a lineout to end the inning. With Jake Cronenworth advancing to third on a wild pitch, top prospect Ethan Salas stepped up with the simple goal of putting the ball in play. With an 0-2 count, Salas lined a fastball into center field for a walk-off win.
At 20 years and 110 days old, Salas became the youngest player to deliver a walk-off since Manny Machado in 2012, who was 20 years and 69 days at the time. Meanwhile, the Padres’ magic number shrank to three after the Arizona Diamondbacks secured a walk-off win against the New York Yankees. San Diego will try for a series sweep against the Miami Marlins today, with the chance to claim the top spot in the NL Wild Card race if the Chicago Cubs lose.
Taking the Mound
Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. Walker Buehler (SD)
Alcantara has been a workhorse for Miami this year, pitching 206 innings with a 3.84 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP—solid but not spectacular numbers. This marks a drop from his Cy Young-winning form in 2022, with his strikeouts down to 149 this season, although he still manages to get outs effectively.
However, Alcantara has faltered recently, posting a 5.86 ERA over his last seven appearances. Much of the damage was due to a rough outing against the New York Mets where he gave up seven runs and three home runs in just over four innings. If the Padres can exploit the same weaknesses, they could sweep the Marlins.
Meanwhile, Walker Buehler remains one of San Diego’s most valuable pitchers, arguably second only to Michael King. Buehler’s durability has been key, having thrown 143 1/3 innings with a 4.58 ERA, a figure that doesn’t fully capture his recent excellence. In his last seven starts, he boasts a 3.09 ERA and has kept runs to three or fewer each time, showing strong consistency. He’ll look to maintain this high level against Miami’s lineup today.
Batter Up!
San Diego’s offense has been on fire lately, scoring six or more runs in nine of their last ten games and seven or more in eight of those. This is no fluke; the lineup is clicking and aiming to carry this momentum into October.
Xander Bogaerts is expected to return to the lineup after his day off on Saturday and has maintained an impressive .429 batting average and a 1.072 OPS against Alcantara in 14 career at-bats. The only Padre with better numbers versus the Marlins’ starter is Manny Machado, who has hit .600 with a 1.334 OPS in 15 at-bats.
Relief Corps
With the game extending into extra innings and starter Casey Mize lasting just three innings, the Padres needed six pitchers to close out the win. Randy Vásquez pitched two innings, followed by Bradgley Rodriguez, Yuki Matsui, Adrian Morejon, Mason Miller, and David Morgan who handled the final five innings.
For today’s series finale, San Diego’s bullpen options are thin. Only Griffin Canning, Kyle Hart, and Wandy Peralta are readily available, all of whom are low-leverage relievers—meaning much pressure will rest on Buehler to deliver a strong performance.
Fan Take: This thrilling Padres comeback shines a light on the unpredictable excitement that makes baseball great, highlighting young stars like Ethan Salas who inject fresh energy into the sport. As the postseason beckons, San Diego’s resilience and explosive offense could reshape playoff narratives, thrilling fans and keeping the competition fierce.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
