Darvish Shifts Gears as Padres Push for Playoff Position; Machado, Cronenworth Lift Offense; Padres Gold Advances in Dominican Playoffs; Farm Notes and More
Yu Darvish is proving that age is just a number as he continues a late-season surge for San Diego. Coming off a milestone birthday earlier this week, the 39-year-old right-hander has refashioned his delivery and mixing, and the results have followed. In Friday’s win over the Dodgers, he held the opponent to one run on one hit and one walk with five strikeouts over six innings. In his last five starts, Darvish is 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA and a 0.667 WHIP, surrendering nine earned runs on 13 hits and five walks while striking out 28 in 27 innings. It’s a stretch that has the Padres hotly pursuing a postseason berth and demonstrating the durability Shildt praised last year.
Padres relievers continued to do their part, backing Darvish with a steady mix of shutdown innings. Jason Adam logged a perfect inning with a strikeout to drop his ERA to 1.60 and earned his 28th hold, extending his streak of scoreless innings to 13 2/3 since July 21. Mason Miller worked a clean eighth, walking two but recording no runs. In the ninth, Robert Suárez worked a scoreless frame with two strikeouts to notch his 34th save, just two shy of his total for all of 2024.
Padres Bits:
– San Diego pulled even with the Dodgers at 73-56 atop the National League West with Friday’s 2-1 victory. There are 33 games left in the regular season.
– Manny Machado contributed to both Padres’ runs, going 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run. He is 7-for-20 with two doubles, a home run, four runs and six RBIs over a five-game hitting streak and sits four hits shy of becoming the fourth player in history with 1,000 hits as a Padre.
– The club used three sacrifice bunts Friday, by Luis Arraez, Jake Cronenworth and Freddy Fermin, tying the single-game Major League mark for a team this season. San Diego’s total of 37 sacrifice bunts this year leads MLB by seven.
– Cronenworth extended his on-base streak to 17 straight home games, the longest active streak in the league.
Padres Gold in the Dominican Republic:
The Padres Gold team advanced to the best-of-three semifinal round of the Dominican Republic Summer League playoffs without needing Saturday’s final round-robin game. They advanced as the round-robin champion 2-0 and stand at 41-17 on the season. They’ll open the semifinals Sunday.
In Friday action for the Padres’ farm system, starting left-hander Jackson Wolf (6-2, 5.51) pitched for Triple-A El Paso, allowing one run on two hits with eight strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings to earn the win. Prospects in the mix included Tirso Ornelas (.286) driving in a run with a sacrifice fly and a walk; Tirso was among the Padres’ top prospects in this slate of games. For High-A Fort Wayne, Isaiah Lowe (3-11, 5.65) took the loss after giving up five runs (one earned) on eight hits in four innings. In Lake Elsinore, Maikel Miralles (2-4, 5.17) took the loss as Stockton shut out the Storm.
Farm notes also included other affiliates’ results and player updates, reflecting San Diego’s broad pipeline breadth as it pushes toward a potential championship run in the big leagues while developing talent across the system.
A bit of Padres history: On this date in 2005, San Diego defeated Houston 2-0 in the fastest game ever played at Petco Park, a compact showdown highlighted by Jake Peavy’s complete-game shutout and Roger Clemens’ tough night.
Commentary and outlook:
– Darvish’s late-season adjustments appear to be paying off in real-time, providing the Padres with a reliable starter deep into the postseason push. The willingness to adapt — a trait manager Mike Shildt highlighted in the past — is on display again as the veteran pivots his approach to match the moment.
– The bullpen’s depth continues to be a strength, with multiple relievers contributing frequently in high-leverage spots and keeping hitter workloads manageable late in games.
– The offense is getting contributions from across the lineup, with Machado continuing to provide clutch hits and Cronenworth’s on-base prowess providing a steady spark in a season where small-ball and strategic bunting have yielded big strategic advantages.
Summary:
Darvish’s resurgence, a flexible bullpen, Machado’s steady bat, and a productive team approach continue to fuel the Padres as they chase a division crown and a sturdy playoff berth. The farm system is also thriving, giving San Diego a steady stream of talent that could feed the big club in the months ahead.
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