Usually when the San Diego Padres score four runs, they can eke out a win with their strong pitching staff. Tuesday night, that was not the case.
The Friars jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning. Unfortunately, that lead was immediately lost with starter Matt Waldron surrendering five runs to the Milwaukee Brewers in the bottom of the fourth. That might’ve been due to some bad luck, but it was a rough ending to an otherwise solid outing.
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Waldron had been pitching much better lately, giving up only four runs across his previous 10 innings. That solid performance was made to look like a blip with his return to mediocrity yesterday. It seems more and more likely that newcomer Lucas Giolito will take Waldron’s spot in the rotation.
The offense turned a corner, with Miguel Andujar driving in two runs with a solo homer and an RBI double. If they can build on that production in tonight’s game, it would be a major turning point for San Diego.
Taking the mound
Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) v. Michael King (SD)
Misiorowski has been doing what he does best: throwing baseballs as hard as almost any human can. He’s been much more successful than last season, with his fastball run value going from ranking in the 63rd percentile (2025) to the 86th (2026). In his first eight games, he owns a 2.45 ERA and 0.95 WHIP.
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The young phenom has anchored this Brewers rotation. He has been one of the best pitchers in the National League, giving Milwaukee a shot at staying in contention in the stacked NL Central division.
King has been just as much of an ace as he ever has been for the Friars. He’s pitched to a 2.76 ERA in 45 2/3 innings, with his sinker and changeup being his most valuable pitches.
He pitched a gem in his last outing against the St. Louis Cardinals, giving up one run across six innings. If he can do that again against a Brewers club that has struggled to score runs, tonight may turn out to be quite the pitcher’s duel.
Batter up!
Manager Craig Stammen made just about the most offense-focused lineup he could, putting Fernando Tatis Jr. at second base so Nick Castellanos could play right field, and having Andujar DH. That didn’t end up working out fully, with the Friars only scoring four runs in their loss.
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Andujar is the only player who’s faced Misiorowski and, though it’s a small sample size (two at-bats), he’s batting 1.000 with a 2.000 OPS. Duplicating that would go a long way toward a San Diego win.
The lineup knocked eight hits last night, but couldn’t take advantage of all of their opportunities. They’ll need to do a much better job tonight if they hope to force the rubber match tomorrow.
Relief corps
With Bradgley Rodriguez serving as an opener for Waldron, the Friars used three relievers to get through the game. It was basically a bullpen game with Waldron only going 2 2/3 innings. Wandy Peralta and Yuki Matsui combined to pitch 4 1/3 scoreless innings.
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With that, the bullpen has plenty of options for tonight’s game. Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Ron Marinaccio, Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon will each be readily available for Stammen to turn to. All but Marinaccio are obvious high-leverage options for the Friars.
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