RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesJul 26, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) celebrates with second baseman Jake Cronenworth (9) and second baseman Sung-Mun Song (24) after the game against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park.
Few weeks carry the weight of this upcoming one for the San Diego Padres . The results over the next six days could shape both the club's immediate outlook and its long-term future as the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline nears.
San Diego returns to Petco Park after the team's longest road trip of the season which included 10 games in 10 days in three different cities Despite starting the stretch 2-5 with four one-run losses, the Padres managed to finish the road trip with a .500 record after sweeping the Miami Marlins over the weekend.
Sunday's victory over Miami may prove to be one of the Padres' most significant wins of the season. Manny Machado, who owns a .975 OPS over his last 21 games, belted a game-tying two-run homer in the eighth before Jackson Merrill followed with a go-ahead solo shot in San Diego's 5-3 comeback win. Mason Miller, the game's most electrifying reliever, retired the side in the ninth to remain a perfect 27-for-27 in save opportunities this season.
Now, the club is set to face two NL-West teams near the bottom of the standings and who are expected to be sellers at the deadline. Sitting just 1.5 games back of the third and final Wild Card spot in the a jammed packed National League race, San Diego has a prime opportunity to capitalize against two inferior clubs who are already looking towards the future.
The question is, will they? Can San Diego (53-53) jump back into the mix and convince president of baseball operations A.J. Preller, who has a lengthy history of being aggressive at the Trade Deadline, to hold onto their superstar closer and potentially add to a club looking to reach the postseason for the fourth time in five years? Those answers could be unveiled by the week's end.
The Padres will open the six-game homestand with a fast two-game series against the Colorado Rockies , a team tied with the worst record in the majors with the Los Angeles Angels at 42-65. Colorado is staring down a fifth consecutive last place finish in the NL West despite sitting one win away from matching their win total from a year ago.
Offensively, the Rockies have quietly fielded one of the more productive lineups in baseball. Catcher Hunter Goodman leads the club with 31 home runs, while rookie first baseman TJ Rumfield has posted an .857 OPS in 104 games. Center fielder Jake McCarthy has provided steady production atop the lineup, batting .298 with 21 doubles and 58 RBIs. As a team, Colorado ranks inside the top five in average (.254), slugging percentage (.417) and OPS (.741) in the majors.
Playing half its games at Coors Field certainly inflates those numbers, but the offense isn't why the Rockies enter the series 23 games below the .500 mark.
It's the pitching.
Entering Tuesday, Colorado owns a league-worst 5.55 ERA and 1.52 WHIP while sporting the fewest quality starts in baseball with 17. The staff has surrendered the third-most homers and allowed 109 more hits than any other team in the league. In his 10th season with Colorado, Opening Day starter Kyle Freeland is in midst of his worst season yet, owning a 7.34 ERA in 99.1 innings. The southpaw is projected to finish with a negative WAR for the second time despite fielding the best strikeout-to-walk ratio of his career.
Right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano has established himself as the most effective starter in the rotation, leading the staff with a 10-4 record in 96.0 innings this season. Veteran closer Jordan Romano, who signed with Colorado in May after being designated for assignment by the Angels in late April, has collected eight saves this season — four in Los Angeles and four in Colorado. Somehow, that leads both clubs.
Colorado's struggles on the mound will be tested against a resurgent San Diego lineup. Since July 7, the Padres have averaged 5.11 runs per game, a significant turnaround for an offense that spent much of the first half near the bottom of the league in most major offensive categories.
The biggest question mark for this San Diego club remains to be the starting pitching. Behind ace Michael King, the Padres have little to offer. Veterans Walker Buehler, German Marquez, Griffin Canning and Randy Vasquez have failed to provide stability to a rotation in desperate need of consistency.
If San Diego's front office opts to find help in the rotation at the Trade Deadline, names such as Kansas City's Seth Lugo, Miami's Sandy Alcantara and New York's Freddy Peralta could be available targets.
Pitching Probables
Tuesday, July 28, 6:40 p.m.: RHP Michael Lorenzen (3-9, 6.53 ERA) vs. Michael King (6-7, 3.24 ERA)
It's a battle of Michael's Tuesday night as Lorenzen looks to bounce back after allowing seven runs (six earned) in 3.2 innings against Washington on Tuesday while King searches to even his record in his 22nd start this season. In Wednesday's start against Atlanta, King fired six innings and allowed one run while striking out seven.
Wednesday, July 29, 1:10 p.m.: RHP Gabriel Hughes (0-2, 2.79 ERA) vs. RHP Griffin Canning (1-9, 6.97 ERA)
The series finale on Wednesday afternoon features the righty Hughes making his third career start after earning a three-inning save in his first career appearance against San Francisco on July 3 while Canning aims to lower an ERA that has shot up to almost seven after surrendering three homers in a 6-5 loss to Atlanta on Thursday. Canning has struggled to find success in his first season with the Brown and Gold since returning from a ruptured left Achilles that ended his lone season with the New York Mets. The 30-year-old has surpassed five innings just once this season and has yet to exceed the 100-pitch mark in 11 starts th...
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