SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 26: Taylor Walls #6 of the Tampa Bay Rays throws to first base after forcing out Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres at second base to complete a double play at Petco Park on April 26, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)
There are still a few days left in April. The Padres will be playing games through September. So, we can all have full confidence that they will, in fact, have games where they score more than one run again ... even if it doesn't really feel that way right now.
San Diego snapped a string of 30 straight scoreless innings but wasn't able to build on it in a 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Saturday night at Petco Park. Maybe it's the fact half of their usual starting lineup is on the injured list. Maybe it's just running into a string of pretty good pitchers who are on their game.
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WATCH HEREWhatever the reason, we know Fernando Tatis Jr. is not the problem. He had two of the Friars five hits. We can also say Tyler Wade is not an offensive anchor. He had two more hits, a double and a triple, and scored San Diego's only run of the evening on an RBI single by Tatis Jr. in the 6th inning. At the time it snapped a string of 30 straight scoreless innings, the third longest run scoring drought in franchise history.
The Friars almost got another one in the 7th inning. Manny Machado hit a rocket to centerfield that had enough to get out of the park. Rookie outfielder Chandler Simpson, the fastest player in Major League Baseball, got to the wall and made a leaping grab to bring the would-be homer back in the yard.
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SIGN UP Aside from Tatis Jr. and Wade the Padres lineup went 1-for-23, the only other hit being a Machado double. Tampa Bay got all the runs they needed early against Dylan Cease, who is still trying to find his command. Cease struck out six but walked four and allowed a solo homer to Brandon Lowe. He was lifted in the 5th inning after throwing a whopping 95 pitches to get 13 outs.
San Diego's bullpen was tested again with five pitchers combining to cover 4.2 innings, which was not the plan but the best relief corps in the game is going to have its depth tested again. Logan Gillaspie threw one pitch and immediately doubled over in pain. Manager Mike Shildt said after the game it was an oblique injury and he's going to have to miss some time.
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The Padres have lost three straight overall and two straight at home for the first time all year. They try to avoid getting swept on Sunday afternoon with Randy Vasquez on the mound against Zack Littell.
