We ought not draw too many more conclusions from the Padres\u2019 second seven games than we did from their first seven.<\/p>\n
Except that it probably means something that this is how they said it would go. They said they would be fine, and it seems they just might be.<\/p>\n
Heck, their manager almost seemed to relish the early struggles, because he thought it could lead to outcomes like this.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in this together,\u201d Craig Stammen said last Sunday in Boston, two victories into this seven-game run of much better baseball. \u201c\u2026 The more that we can talk through things \u2014 talk through the bad, talk through the good, use adversity as our friend and use adversity to create perseverance and determination and stick with it and get back to it the next game, that\u2019s hopefully what we\u2019ve become as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe.<\/p>\n
Not to say that Jackson Merrill doesn\u2019t need to stop chasing bad pitches and start getting more hits. But there he was leading off the ninth inning of a tie game last night by grounding a single the other way to through a hole on the left side of the infield. And then there was Manny Machado, whose best attribute this season is his eye, working an eight-pitch walk. And there was Xander Bogaerts, hitless for the first time in six days and not 24 hours removed from his walk-off grand slam, sending a long fly ball to right field to move Merrill to third.<\/p>\n
And then there was Sheets, who has refined his eye and found his stroke after a slow start, hitting his second home run of the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cA bunch of good at-bats,\u201d Stammen said.<\/p>\n
Just like they have been taking the majority of most nights, even in losses.<\/p>\n
They said again and again that they would be fine if they stuck with what they believed was the right approach offensively.<\/p>\n
Sure, more than four hits before the ninth inning against the Rockies would be advisable.<\/p>\n
But wins come in all shapes. This one had some strong starting pitching, excellent defense throughout and a pair of dominant relievers at the back end.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way we\u2019ve been throwing the ball and playing defense has been really, really good,\u201d Sheets said. \u201cTo reward the bullpen and starting pitching the last couple days and get these wins has been huge. We\u2019ve kept the momentum on our side. Obviously, it shifts through the games, but we\u2019ve been able to bounce back. Two huge wins.\u201d<\/p>\n
Efficiently fast Buehler<\/p>\n
Walker Buehler has evolved into a different pitcher, using far more of his seven-pitch repertoire than he did before his second Tommy John surgery or even in the two seasons since returning from that procedure.<\/p>\n
But he has been upfront about longing to throw his fastball more, similar to how he did while throwing in the high 90s and being a dominant starter for the Dodgers from 2018 through \u201821. In spring training, he compared the fastball to \u201cthe ex-girlfriend that you fell in love with and always will want her back.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n He didn\u2019t quite return to his old ways last night while throwing six scoreless innings, but he did throw his four-seam fastball and sinker more frequently than he had in his first two starts. And he threw it harder, averaging 93.9 mph on both pitches and topping out at 95.1 on both.<\/p>\n \u201cListen, I want to throw fastballs,\u201d he said last night. \u201cI like throwing fastballs. That\u2019s what I\u2019ve done my whole life. The reality is, it\u2019s not quite the same as it used to be. \u2026 We\u2019ll stay on it and have a good week and hopefully recreate it.\u201d<\/p>\n My game story details Buehler\u2019s remarkable efficiency and command \u2014 no three-ball counts and 50 strikes among his 68 pitches \u2014 and how he maintained his delivery well beyond what he had been able to do in his previous two outings.<\/p>\n \u201cA little more urgency,\u201d Buehler said. \u201cobviously, kind of mentally and (physically) struggling the first two. The coaching staff and I have been doing a lot of work and the strength staff and training staff, trying to get back to some things that I used to do really well. And I just think the throw is improving and the delivery is improving. So really good to get a good one under my belt.\u201d<\/p>\n Estrada down<\/p>\n As suggested might happen in yesterday\u2019s newsletter<\/a>, reliever Jeremiah Estrada was placed on the 15-day injured list yesterday.<\/p>\n The reason for his being shut down is right elbow tendonitis, which had manifested in the velocity of his pitches being down markedly.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a little bit extra discomfort today,\u201d Estrada said. \u201cI (could) try to thug it out, as I always try to thug it out. I\u2019ve been through a long journey full of pains, but I\u2019m getting older too, so I gotta be smart with how I thug it out. \u2026 It hurts me to just step aside to have to do this. But then again, at the end of the day, it\u2019s a decision I had to make, not only for the team but for my career itself. It hurts to have to be away from the field, but I\u2019d rather come back stronger than have to go out there to test something out. \u201d<\/p>\n Estrada, whose average four-seam fastball was 97.9 mph in 2025, has not hit 97 mph since his second appearance of the season and was throwing the pitch as slow as 92.2 mph on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cLast time I hit 92 I was a freshman in high school,\u201d Estrada said. \u201c\u2026 So there\u2019s a little bit of a worry. Tested it out today, and wanted to feel it, be smart about it and pray about it, and I just feel like this is a decision we can do to help out not only just myself but the team and get better and work harder and get stronger.\u201d<\/p>\n Stammen said Estrada might just be experiencing arm fatigue and that the Padres do not believe this \u201cis a big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n Estrada had, despite the dip in velocity and trouble commanding his splitter, put together a scoreless streak of five innings over five appearances before allowing two unearned runs in 1\u2153 innings Thursay.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s something that has probably manifested itself over the course of time, and now it finally got to the point where (Estrada didn\u2019t) want to pitch through this anymore,\u201d Stammen said. \u201c\u2026 It\u2019s a good time to be overly cautious, and give him a little breather, get him on the IL and get him right.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam back<\/p>\n Jason Adam\u2019s expected return off the injured list yesterday was the corresponding move to fill Estrada\u2019s place on the roster (and in the bullpen).<\/p>\n Adam got into last night\u2019s game in the eighth inning, taking over for Adrian Morej\u00f3n in a tie game with runners on second and third and two outs. Adam ended the inning on a groundball out.<\/p>\n His return came about a month earlier than even the most optimistic projections when he ruptured the quad tendon in his left leg on Sept. 1.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was pretty cool moment,\u201d Stammen said. \u201cWe were trying to give him a soft landing. That wasn\u2019t quite the softest situation to get put into, but we needed him desperately. And he delivered just like he has ever since he\u2019s been a Padre. One of the most trustworthy people in our whole organization. He put in so much work to get back to be there in that moment. And I was glad it went well for him. It was pretty cool to be able to hand him the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam, who has a 1.66 ERA in 92\u2153 innings with the Padres, threw just five pitches.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the softness of the landing \u2014 only had to face one batter,\u201d Adam said. \u201cGlad I could get the job done and watch Gavin put one deep into the night.\u201d<\/p>\n Again and again<\/p>\n Mason Miller worked a third consecutive day for just the second time in his career, and it was pretty much the same as the day before and the day before that and every time he has pitched since Aug. 6.<\/p>\n (Miller did take 13 pitches to strike out the three batters he faced in the ninth inning, three more than he threw Wednesday or Thursday. His fastball also topped out at 102.8 mph, down from his season-high 103.4 on a pitch Thursday. So he went from uber dominant to merely super dominant.)<\/p>\n Last night\u2019s outing, his third in a row that did not have a save at stake, was Miller\u2019s 27th in a row without allowing a run and extended his scoreless streak to 28\u2154 innings.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s update the chart of dominance:<\/p>\n Miller\u2019s scoreles streak is the third longest in Padres history behind 30 innings by Randy Jones in 1980 and 33\u2154 innings by Clay Meredith in 2006.<\/p>\n Just four of the 24 batters Miller has faced this season have put the ball in play. The breakdown: one hit, one walk, 19 strikeouts, one pop fly out, one groundout, one fly ball out. He is the only pitcher ever to face 24 or fewer batters and have 19 strikeouts in any seven-game span in a single season.<\/p>\n Even though it seems like Miller might never allow a run again, it is too early to begin thinking about his passing the record of 39 scoreless innings by a reliever or the overall consecutive scoreless innings streak of 59.<\/p>\n So it is certainly too soon to start seriously thinking about Miler becoming the first relief pitcher to win a Cy Young award since Eric Gagne, who converted all 55 of his save opportunities for the Dodgers in 2003.<\/p>\n But is there even such a thing as too early in today\u2019s hot-take culture?<\/p>\n Stammen was asked what it would take for Miller to win the National League Cy Young.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of the other starting pitchers can\u2019t have great seasons,\u201d he said. \u201cThey just have somewhat average seasons, and it gives an opportunity for a reliever to kind of sneak in there and grab that Cy Young. Or if you do what Mason is doing so far and do that for a full season? It\u2019s definitely a possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n Nothing says Miller can\u2019t win both, but this is the first year of the Relief Pitcher of the Year award. That will be voted on by baseball writers along with Cy Young, MVP, Manager of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards. The reliever award was created in the interest of relievers not being left out since it was considered virtually impossible for one of them to win the Cy Young again.<\/p>\n Killing him (mostly) softly<\/p>\n Morej\u00f3n surrendered two runs in last night\u2019s eighth inning and has yielded nine runs in six games this season. He did not allow his ninth run until his 22nd game last season.<\/p>\n Last night was fairly typical of his season, as it began with Brenton Doyle beating out a 53 mph grounder toward third base. Doyle then advanced to second on a broken-bat groundout and got to third on another groundout. A rocketed single by Hunter Goodman and medium-hard single by Tyler Freeman drove in the runs.<\/p>\n But that inning probably does not go anywhere without Doyle\u2019s dribbler.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re racking our brains about it,\u201d Stammen said. \u201cHe\u2019s throwing 100 mph, and they\u2019re getting a bunch of singles off of him. It\u2019s not like he\u2019s giving up slug, and they\u2019re not hitting the ball hard. \u2026 A little bit of bad luck, and a little bit of baseball humbling somebody a little bit and letting you know it\u2019s a tough game. Not that he\u2019s arrogant about it or anything, but sometimes baseball just does that to you and makes you dig a little deeper and see how tough you are. And I think Adrian is pretty tough and can handle this.\u201d<\/p>\n Hard luck<\/p>\n Four more hard hits, four more outs for Fernando Tatis Jr.<\/p>\n He is now batting .189 (10-for-53) with a .519 OPS, the worst numbers he has ever had beyond the 12th game of a season. He has yet to hit a home run, something he had never gone more than five games into a season without doing.<\/p>\n He is batting .240 (6-for-25) on his hard-hit balls, 225 points below the MLB average.<\/p>\n Tatis\u2019 18 balls in play at 100 mph or harder, including three last night, are tied for third most in the majors. He is 5-for-11 (.454) with a sacrifice fly on those balls, which is 117 points lower than the MLB average.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, we want better numbers or whatever,\u201d Tatis said. \u201cBut I\u2019ve been playing some good baseball \u2014 playing defense, offense, hitting the ball hard to every part of the field. But it looks like the baseball gods are really mad at me right now. It\u2019s all right, I\u2019ll take it. We\u2019ve got five more months of baseball, and I\u2019m ready for it. I\u2019m really prepared, and I have all the confidence in the world that it\u2019s going to turn around.<\/p>\n \u201cYou get frustrated, obviously. But at the same time, you know you\u2019re doing the right thing. So you gotta stay confident. You gotta stay in the game \u2014 go out there and compete with your teammates and just find a way to win this really hard game of baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n Another rough one<\/p>\n A night after home plate umpire Nic Lentz had calls overturned on seven of 10 ABS challenges, Hunter Wendelstedt had nine calls overturned on 11 challenges.<\/p>\n That is the most overturned calls an umpire has had in this first season of the ABS system.<\/p>\n Wendelstedt, who has been an MLB umpire since 1998, was clearly perturbed.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the umpires are getting used to the new strike zone, and so are the players,\u201d Stammen said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to see games like that, where you\u2019ve got an umpire that\u2019s been behind the plate for a really long time. He has been able to call his own zone, and now he\u2019s forced to call a zone that\u2019s not his, and that\u2019s going to be tough for all those umpires. You\u2019ve got to give them a little bit of grace in that process too. They\u2019re being shown up on the scoreboard. It\u2019s not a great look for them sometimes. But we\u2019ve got to understand that they\u2019re going through a new thing also.\u201d<\/p>\n The reality is that 252 pitches were thrown last night, and Wendelstedt made a call on 155 of them.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean he got them all correct.<\/p>\n In fact, the Rockies were out of challenges in the ninth inning when Juan Mejia\u2019s 3-2 pitch to Machado was clearly in the strike zone and called ball four.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t see that every day<\/p>\n Something shocking happened last night that went unnoticed by most.<\/p>\n After taking a called strike that actually missed outside, Ram\u00f3n Laureano took a small step back, quickly raised his right hand as if he was going to tap the top of his helmet to challenge and then stopped and sort of rubbed his palm against the side of his face.<\/p>\n It was sort of like when a junior goes to shake someone\u2019s hand and then pulls back and says, \u201cPsyche\u201d while running his hand back across his hair. (At least that\u2019s what we did in the 80s.)<\/p>\n Laureano glanced toward the Padres dugout where Stammen and everyone else standing nearby was laughing.<\/p>\n That is when Laureano, probably the most intense Padres player, cracked a smile.<\/p>\n Said Merrill: \u201cI\u2019ve never seen him smile in an at-bat before.\u201d<\/p>\n Tidbits<\/p>\n Jake Cronenworth’s glove assists a double play for Xander Bogaerts, last night’s hero for the #Padres<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/mjTY1v1efX<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Carlos (@LFGPads19) April 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n All right, that\u2019s it for me.<\/p>\n There will be no newsletter after the next four games. I have to attend to a family matter and will return Thursday and be with you the rest of the way.<\/p>\n I will cover tonight\u2019s game before leaving town, and Jeff Sanders will have the next four games covered. As always, there will be many stories on our Padres page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Talk to you Friday.<\/p>\n \t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/millerupdate_b4ca86.png\")
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