Fueled by Fernando Tatis Jr.’s power surge and a lockdown bullpen, San Diego’s scorching 10-1 run cements their Wild Card lead as the postseason race intensifies.
The San Diego Padres have been on a heater lately, going 10-1 in their last 11 contests as they fight in the Wild Card race. Their hot streak has put them four games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final postseason spot and just one game behind the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies for the other two Wild Card spots.
San Diego is firing on all cylinders, but some players have taken it to a whole different level in the past week or two. Let’s take a minute to spotlight the players spearheading this dominant end to the 2026 campaign.
Fernando Tatis Jr. had a weird start to the season, not sending a ball over the fence until the very end of May. His sudden lack of power grabbed the baseball world’s attention, but he has been his usual self in the second half of the season, taking it to another level as of late.
In the last week, Tatis Jr. has smashed three home runs and driven in six runs in just 25 at-bats, posting a 1.153 OPS in the process. He’s also stolen three bases and provided plus defense in addition to his performance at the plate. Tatis Jr.’s bat continues to get hotter and hotter as the season nears its conclusion. In baseball, we know how important it is to be hot heading into the postseason, and Tatis Jr. is nothing short of on fire as of late.
He's far from the only bat in the Padres’ lineup that’s caught fire, however. Center Fielder Jackson Merrill has also made up for a slow first half, slashing .404/.418/.712 in the last 15 days, leading the club (min. 20 at-bats) with a 1.130 OPS in that time.
Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado have been star-level bats in the last couple of weeks as well, but Ty France’s .945 OPS in the last 15 days and Dustin Harris’s 10 RBI’s in his last 11 games are more than deserving of a spotlight.
It hasn’t just been the lineup getting hot, as the pitching staff has been able to match it over the last couple of weeks. Michael King has a 2.37 ERA in his last three starts, getting into ace form just as the postseason nears. The bullpen has been the real show on the mound, however, making a real case for being the best in the league.
Everybody knows how dominant Mason Miller is, so his five saves in five opportunities without allowing a run in the last 15 days isn’t even a surprise at this point. Left-handers Adrian Morejon and Yuki Matsui have become just as vital in this final month, though, locking down lineups at the end of games when it matters most.
Morejon has struck out 10 and allowed just one walk in his last seven innings, providing the Padres with more innings despite the wear and tear of a 162-game season. Matsui has allowed just one run in his last seven games, joining Morejon as the only relievers to make at least seven appearances in the last 15 days.
Whether you look at the lineup or the pitching, the Padres are red-hot. The remaining three series against the Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Wild Card-hopeful Diamondbacks won’t be an easy finish, but their current tear will make clinching that postseason spot much more manageable.
