
Padres' All-Star-laden bullpen is lights out in a 4-2 win over NL East-leading Phillies
SAN DIEGO (AP) — All-Star reliever Jason Adam got out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning and San Diego's bullpen threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings as the Padres beat the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 on Friday night.
Adrian Morejon, added to the National League All-Star team earlier in the day, threw a perfect seventh and fellow All-Star Robert Suarez a perfect ninth for his big league-leading 28th save. The Padres are the first team to have three relievers selected to the All-Star Game in the same season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
With the Padres leading 3-2, Adam loaded the bases on a leadoff walk to Trea Turner and consecutive one-out singles by Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm. Nick Castellanos hit a dribbler a few feet in front of the plate that Adam flipped with his glove to catcher Elias Diaz to force Turner. Adam then got Max Kepler to pop up to shortstop and celebrated by slapping his glove and clenching his right fist.
Jeremiah Estrada (3-4) threw a perfect sixth for the win.
Kyle Schwarber hit his 30th homer and Castellanos also homered for the Phillies, who took two of three against the Padres last week in Philadelphia. Both came off rookie Ryan Bergert, who returned from the injured list 17 days after taking a 103-mph line drive off his right forearm against Washington.
Schwarber's homer with two outs in the third traveled an estimated 425 feet deep into the seats in right field. Castellanos' homer with one out in the second was his 12th.
The Padres took a 3-1 lead in the second on three hits and two errors, including one by starter Ranger Suarez (7-3). Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jose Iglesias had RBI hits.
The Phillies also loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth before Bryce Harper grounded out to first base.
San Diego's Manny Machado homered leading off the eighth, his 17th. Key moment
Adam's glove flip to preserve the Padres' lead. Key stat
Schwarber joins Mike Schmidt (31 in 1979) as the only Phillies to hit 30 homers before the All-Star break. Up next
Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler (9-3, 2.17 ERA) and Padres RHP Yu Darvish (0-1, 4.91 ERA) are scheduled to start Saturday.
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Los Angeles Times
42 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
MLB draft: Dodgers select a pair of Arkansas standouts with their first picks
SAN FRANCISCO — The Dodgers' first two picks in this year's MLB draft came consecutively at Nos. 40 and 41 overall. Turns out, their two selections came from the same school, as well, with the team taking left-handed pitcher Zach Root and contact-hitting outfielder Charles Davalan out of the University of Arkansas. Root, a junior for the Razorbacks this year, went at No. 40. A transfer from East Carolina, he had a 3.62 earned-run average this season with 126 strikeouts in 99⅓ innings. Scouting reports lauded his versatile pitch mix, which includes a slider, curveball and changeup from a funky low arm-slot delivery. Davalan, a sophomore who was draft-eligible, also transferred into Arkansas last year after one season at Florida Gulf Coast. He hit .346 for the Razorbacks with 14 home runs, 60 RBIs and more walks (35) than strikeouts (27). Both players were part of an Arkansas team that won 50 games and reached the College World Series. Both figure to be key pieces of the Dodgers' future, as well. Though the Dodgers once again were boxed out of a high draft pick — picking outside the top 30 for the third time in the last four years because of competitive balance tax penalties — the team did acquire an extra selection in what is known as 'Competitive Balance Round A,' securing the No. 41 overall selection as part of the trade that sent Gavin Lux to the Cincinnati Reds. That meant, for the first time since 2019, the Dodgers made two top-50 selections. And when their selections were on the clock, they identified the pair of Southeastern Conference teammates. Root is a Fort Myers, Fla., native who was the No. 31-ranked recruit in the state coming out of high school, according to Perfect Game. After starting his college career at East Carolina, where he had a 9-5 record and 4.43 ERA in two seasons, he found immediate success upon joining Arkansas, earning first-team All-SEC honors and second- and third-team All-American nods. Though he grew up in Florida, Root said he was a childhood Dodgers fan — thanks in large part to another certain left-handed pitcher. 'Growing up, my dad always made me watch [Clayton] Kershaw and learn to pitch like him,' Root said. 'So I've just been watching Dodger baseball ever since I can remember, because of Kershaw.' Davalan took a decidedly more circuitous route to the Dodgers. Originally a childhood hockey player from Quebec, Canada, Davalan moved to Florida when he was in high school during the COVID-19 pandemic, enrolling in a specialized high school that allowed him to spend much of his days training as a baseball player. 'With COVID, a lot got shut down in Canada,' Davalan said. 'So decided to go live in Florida, where the restrictions [weren't there] and you could play 12 months of the year.' From there, the undersized Davalan — who is listed at 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds — got one D-I offer from FGCU, impressed enough there to transfer to Arkansas, and then blossomed into 'one of the best hitters in the draft class, I think,' Root said of his teammate. 'Getting him at pick 41 is just a big steal for the Dodgers.' Davalan offered similar praise about Root, calling him 'kind of an old-school pitcher' who 'really filled the zones up good, but can still get his punchouts when he needs to get out of the jam.' 'Old-school' was also an adjective Davalan used to describe himself. 'I like to win. I like to play hard,' he said. 'So that's what I'm going to try to do. And I'm sure that knowing the organization, it's filled of players like that, so I'm super excited just to get to meet new people.' And, of course, be reacquainted with one from his recent past. 'He's one of my best friends because of Arkansas,' Root said. 'He's a really great dude.' 'I guess I'm going to have to live with him in a couple more years,' Davalan joked. 'He's awesome.'


New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Padres enter All-Star break with all signs pointing to an aggressive trade deadline
SAN DIEGO — One day last month, after another tight game in a season filled with them, San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller spoke about the not-so-distant past and the near future. His club was eight games above .500, still in the thick of the National League wild-card race. Advertisement 'I think your team kind of tells you where we're at,' Preller said. Where the Padres found themselves Sunday, after a 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies to close the first half, was a familiar place. They were 52-44. They had not gained ground. They also had not lost any. It was a little less than three years ago that Preller executed perhaps the biggest deal in trade-deadline history, surrendering a wealth of young talent in exchange for star outfielder Juan Soto. It was almost exactly a year later that Preller bought in moderation to try to save a season that ended in immense disappointment. And it was last year that Preller adjusted, springing for major additions in March, May and July. Those Padres were merely 50-49 at the All-Star break. They went on to win nine of their remaining 11 games before the trade deadline. From there, they proceeded to finish with 93 victories and play into the second week of October. Now it is July again. The Padres slogged through much of the first half, yet find themselves 3 1/2 games better than they were this time a year ago. In recent weeks, they have been linked to multiple prominent names in what appears to be a relatively thin trade market. In other words, all signs point to another aggressive trade deadline for Preller, one of the sport's most creative general managers. 'Knowing him, he tends to go in that area,' shortstop Xander Bogaerts said after Sunday's game at Petco Park. 'I have a couple years here, and we've had some nice additions towards the break and throughout the deadline. So, hopefully we have another nice one.' These Padres, despite a decent record, need multiple additions to play deep into October. The reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers appear injury-riddled and vulnerable, but since a 27-15 start, San Diego has similarly contributed to the league's present absence of superteams. Advertisement These Padres have largely thrived in tight games, winning 63 percent of contests decided by two or fewer runs. They also have played in too many of those — 54, to be exact. Sunday, Phillies lefty Cristopher Sánchez produced the league's 55th quality start against San Diego, permitting only one run and pitching into the eighth inning. Sánchez probably should have been named an All-Star, but the Padres have scuffled against good pitchers and lesser arms alike. Saturday proved an exception; amid the worst slump of his young career, center fielder Jackson Merrill became the first player in three years to hit multiple home runs in a game against perennial Cy Young candidate Zack Wheeler. The Padres, with all three of their All-Star relievers unavailable, stole a 5-4 victory in arguably their best win of the year. That clinched their first series win against an opponent currently above .500 since June 15. A day later, the Padres ended the first half with an 18-31 record against such teams. Their needs — a left fielder, a better-hitting catcher, reinforcement for a dominant but weary bullpen — appear more glaring than those of most contenders. Around Petco Park, with the first day of the two-day MLB Draft winding down, there was a feeling Preller would not wait until the final hours before the July 31 trade deadline to act. Indeed, additions could be coming well before then. According to team and league sources, the Padres remain enamored of Jarren Duran, who still might be viewed as expendable by the surging, outfielder-laden Boston Red Sox. Duran is not an ideal fit for a lineup lacking power and enough ability to combat lefties, but the Padres are not in a position to be especially picky. Their shallow depth was again emphasized Sunday, with Gavin Sheets going on the paternity list and Luis Campusano, recalled from Triple A, going 0-for-3 to extend his streak of big-league plate appearances without a hit to 27. Advertisement That's the longest such streak to begin an individual season since Chicago White Sox catcher Korey Lee logged 28 consecutive hitless plate appearances after being recalled in August 2023. Coincidentally, a league source said, Lee has drawn trade interest from the Padres in 2025. The 26-year-old continues to be a glove-first catcher, but he has shown some utility with his bat, hitting 12 big-league home runs last season and recording a .780 on-base plus slugging percentage this season in Triple A. Duran and Lee represent only a pair of targets for Preller, who, as always, is exploring a wide variety of possibilities. The Padres, at least for now, do not seem as worried about their starting pitching. Last week, in his first two starts of the season, Yu Darvish displayed understandable rust and encouraging stuff. Opening Day starter Michael King, sidelined since May by a nerve issue, has made significant progress toward a potential return in August. Sunday, Nick Pivetta joined Sánchez in pitching like a legitimate All-Star snub. The former allowed only an unearned run in 6 2/3 innings. Pivetta has proved a shrewd signing by Preller, supplying a 2.88 earned-run average amid the most prolific first half by a Padres starter since Joe Musgrove in 2022. 'He's freaking awesome, man,' third baseman Manny Machado said. 'He's different, but he's fun to play behind. He's a guy that you want to go out there and compete every single day.' Machado, the franchise third baseman and the team's steadiest offensive performer, was asked whether he felt the Padres had enough talent to contend deep into the summer. 'Oh, by far. By far. Absolutely,' Machado said. 'Can we reinforce the team? Yeah. Everyone can. I think all 30 ballclubs want to reinforce. But we're confident in this group that we have here. You know, we got pitchers coming back healthy, which is a big plus. We got guys starting to swing the bat. Yeah, man, we got the team that we had last year, and we're ready for that second-half push.' As always, such statements contain elements of truth. Advertisement The Padres, with recent signs of life from Merrill, Bogaerts and Fernando Tatis Jr., have hit better this month; they also continue to rank last in the majors in combined OPS from the eighth and ninth spots in their lineup. The flashy core of the 2024 National League Division Series team remains in place; gone now, however, are Jurickson Profar, Kyle Higashioka and other unexpected contributors from last year's team. Still, last summer, the Padres demonstrated some things that go beyond raw talent. They went 43-20 after the All-Star break under Mike Shildt, who boasts a .651 second-half winning percentage in three full seasons as a big-league manager. They increased their margin for error with the kind of fundamental baseball that plays when the pressure rises in September and beyond. Shildt described Sunday's first inning — Machado and first baseman Luis Arraez committed ultimately costly errors — as an exception for a defense that had led the majors in fielding percentage since June 1. Star worthy. — San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 13, 2025 'We do a lot of really good things. We win on the margins,' Shildt said. 'It speaks to a positive first half and a very favorable and exciting second half.' With a half-game lead over the San Francisco Giants for the third wild-card spot, the Padres will begin the second half amid continued narrow margins and a somewhat favorable schedule. Friday will bring the start of a 10-game trip against the Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals, who trail San Diego by 1 1/2 games but entered this season fully intending to retool. To take advantage of these opponents, the Padres will have to play better than their 21-26 road record. They have been buoyed by their performance at Petco Park, where they are 31-18 and on pace to draw 3.4 million in season attendance. Besides the Dodgers and their massive stadium, no team has attracted that many fans to its ballpark since the 2019 Cardinals, who went from 44-44 at the All-Star break to 91-71 under a familiar manager. Advertisement 'Good homestand. Six and 4,' Shildt said late Sunday afternoon. 'You know, if you go 6-4 over the course of every 10 games, you're gonna win 96 games.' That's just another reason the Padres expect to approach the next two weeks with a certain sense of opportunism — both on and off the field. When they return to Petco Park on July 28, the roster could look a bit different. (Photo of Mike Shildt: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)


Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Terry Francona joins 2,000-win club in Reds' final game before All-Star break
The Reds paid tribute to Francona in the clubhouse after their final game before the All-Star break. Reliever Brent Suter congratulated Francona and told the manager about a couple gifts from the team. After the players called for a speech, Francona used an expletive to describe how much he loved everyone and then waved them off to their break. Advertisement That's our bleeping skipper. — Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) Francona, 66, joins Texas's Bruce Bochy as the only active managers with at least 2,000 wins. Bochy was among a handful of baseball figures who congratulated Francona in a video posted by the Reds on social media. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Ten of the 12 other managers who have accumulated at least 2,000 wins are in the Hall of Fame. Bochy and Dusty Baker (2,183), who isn't yet eligible, are the only exceptions. Francona is the fourth man to record his 2,000th win for one of the teams from his playing career; he batted .227 in 102 games for the Reds in 1987. The others are Bochy (San Francisco), Bucky Harris (Detroit), and John McGraw (New York Giants). Related : Francona's regular-season record is 2,000-1,719 in 24 seasons. He led the Red Sox to World Series titles in Advertisement He had a franchise-record 921 wins in 11 years with Cleveland, 744 in seven seasons with Boston, and 285 in his first stop at Philadelphia, including his first victory as a skipper on April 1, 1997, against the Dodgers. Francona is 50-47 in his first season with Cincinnati after signing a three-year deal with a club option for 2028. 'We knew it was coming,' Suter said. 'I saw 1,950 was his win count before he came out of retirement for us. I was like, 'Ooh, hopefully we can get that in the first half and feel really good about it,' and we waited until the very end but we got it in the first half. Such a special moment.' Francona's 500th win in 2007 and 1000th in 2011 came while managing the Red Sox. Victory No. 1,500th was on May 3, 2018, when Cleveland defeated Toronto. 'I've said it since spring training. It's an honor to be able to play for him,' said Emilio Pagán, who picked up the save on Sunday. 'And so to be the guy to close out the 2,000th win, it felt cool.'