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NL West report: Padres heat up
TL;DR
The San Diego Padres won six out of seven games from April 6-12, including five consecutive victories, while the Arizona Diamondbacks also performed well, winning two series against the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.
San Diego, CA - April 12: Jackson Merrill #3 of the San Diego Padres and Bryce Johnson #29 run off the field after a 7-2 win against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park on April 12, 2026 in San Diego, CA. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
After a rough start to the season for the non-Dodgers teams in the National League West, the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks had strong weeks to build on from April 6-12.
Arizona was break-even after a week and a half, but last week won a pair of road series against postseason hopefuls, winning two of three against both the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. But the Padres turned things up a notch with six wins in seven games, including the last five in a row.
Game of the week
Thursday night at Petco Park saw the Padres and Colorado Rockies in lockstep with each other all night. The each scored one run in the third inning, then nothing else through nine innings. Then they each scored single runs in both the 10th and 11th, and left a combined eight runners on base in those four half-innings.
After the Rockies left two more on in a scoreless top of the 12th, Colorado opted to intentionally walk both Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado to load the bases. Xander Bogaerts made them pay with a walk-off grand slam.
Division news & notes
- The next night after Bogaerts, Gavin Sheets played hero, snapping a 2-2 tie with a walk-off three-run blast for San Diego.
- D-backs shortstop Geraldo Perdomo finished fourth in National League MVP voting last year, but is off to a rough start to 2026, hitting just .157/.286/.255 thus far.
- The San Francisco Giants have lost the final game of four of their five series. They are also having trouble closing out at-bats and innings.
- The Monforts sold 40 percent of the Colorado Rockies, the latest step in what appears to be actual turnover for the division’s worst franchise.
NL West standings
Dodgers 11-4, – –
Padres 10-6, 1.5 GB
D-backs 9-7, 2.5 GB
Rockies 6-10, 5.5 GB
Giants 6-10, 5.5 GB
The week ahead
- Dodgers: vs. Mets, at Rockies (4-game wraparound)
- D-backs: at Orioles, vs. Blue Jays
- Padres: vs. Mariners, at Angels
- Rockies: at Astros, vs. Dodgers (4-game wraparound)
- Giants: at Reds, at Nationals
Only one divisional matchup this week, with the Dodgers at Coors Field to play the Rockies for four games beginning Friday night.
Q&A
What was the Padres' record from April 6-12, 2026?
The Padres had a record of six wins and one loss during that period.
Which teams did the Arizona Diamondbacks defeat in their recent series?
The Diamondbacks won two of three games against both the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies.
How did the Padres' performance compare to the Diamondbacks' last week?
The Padres had a stronger performance with six wins in seven games, while the Diamondbacks went break-even with two series wins.
