Padres Marlins series highlights San Diego's pitching shake-up
The Padres Marlins matchup has put San Diego's stopgap pitching strategy in the spotlight. With only Michael King and Walker Buehler as regular starters and several rotation arms on the injured list, the club is piggybacking short starts to stay in the National League Wild Card race before the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline.
Key Takeaways
- San Diego is running an all-hands pitching plan with King and Buehler as every-fifth-day starters and about 10 other arms covering the rest.
- A Randy Vásquez–JP Sears piggyback delivered six innings of one-run ball in a 7-2 win over Miami on Saturday.
- Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove and Lucas Giolito are on the injured list; manager Craig Stammen expects reinforcements no earlier than mid-August.
- The Padres sit three games back of the final NL Wild Card spot as the Trade Deadline approaches Aug. 3.
- After Saturday's loss, Miami's skid reached 11 games heading into Sunday's series finale.
What is San Diego's unconventional pitching plan?
According to MLB.com, the Padres currently treat King and Buehler as traditional every-fifth-day starters, with closer Mason Miller anchoring the late innings. Everyone else is on call to cover whatever remains.
They would prefer a five-man rotation and six-inning workhorses. They do not have that depth right now. The club's rotation ERA sits at 4.68 — better than only the Rockies in the National League — after injuries shelved Pivetta, Musgrove and Giolito.
Shorter bursts have helped arms such as Vásquez and Sears, who have struggled in full starts but held their own with better matchups and fewer times through the order. Stammen said the approach is likely the norm "until we get some reinforcements or find guys that can handle that traditional starting role."
How did the Padres Marlins game show the strategy?
Saturday's outing in Miami made the plan concrete. Sears was originally listed to start, but Vásquez went unused Friday and was preferred against the top of Miami's lineup. San Diego scratched Sears, then named Vásquez on Saturday morning.
Vásquez faced the first 10 hitters; Sears handled the next 12. Together they worked six innings and allowed one run in the 7-2 win — not a classic quality start, but a quality piggyback. Matt Waldron finished the final two innings after San Diego stacked late runs, easing the load on high-leverage relievers such as Miller and Adrian Morejón.
The Marlins entered Saturday on a 10-game losing streak and turned to Eury Pérez; after that defeat, the skid reached 11. Sunday's series finale was set for 1:40 p.m. ET with Buehler opposed by Janson Junk, as San Diego looked to complete a three-game sweep.
Why does this matter before the Trade Deadline?
Stammen's "reinforcements" include Pivetta and Musgrove, who took a step forward Friday but are not expected back until mid-August at the earliest. That leaves the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline as another path to add starting pitching — if the Padres can win enough to act as buyers.
They are three games behind the final NL Wild Card spot. The offense, once baseball's worst over the season's first 2½ months, has ranked among the top 10 since mid-June, which helps a bullpen-heavy staff avoid overusing its late-inning arms.
Whether the hybrid plan lasts months is doubtful. Whether it can bridge the gap until health or trades arrive is the bet San Diego is willing to test. For more buzz coverage across sports and beyond, see our Future Tech & AI Wonders hub.