Padres’ comeback accentuates club’s fiery start to 2026

Taking the mound

Ryne Nelson (AZ) v. Michael King (SD)

Nelson has had a difficult start to the year. And that’s putting it mildly. The righty has a 6.97 ERA across 20 2/3 innings. And his WHIP is abnormally high (1.45) compared to last year’s 1.07 mark. Last season was a breakout year for the right-hander that saw him finish the year with a 3.39 ERA. The D-backs need him to return to form if they hope to contend for a postseason spot. Things to watch for? Xander Bogaerts, Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. all have batting averages over .350 and OPS marks over 1.000 against Nelson. After last night’s lack of star power from the Friars, perhaps some slug returns to the lineup against Nelson. King has been nothing but vintage so far in 2026. Even with his early-season rough outing against the Boston Red Sox, the righty has logged a 2.28 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 27 2/3 innings. Going into his sixth start of the year, King is looking to shut down Arizona before they even have a chance to get going. His odds look good. The team has a combined .117 batting average and .350 OPS against King (40 ABs). That’s a relatively small sample size, but it’s one worth mentioning as the Padres go for the sweep this afternoon.

Batter up!

It’s fair to say that the three aforementioned star sluggers will be in the lineup against Nelson. It’s possible that Sung-Mun Song gets his MLB debut after being called up from the minors for this weekend, though maybe skipper Craig Stammen will wait until the team is back at Petco Park tomorrow night. If Song does play, he could take over for Jake Cronenworth (and his middling bat) at second base. That would at least give a theoretically better offensive option at the keystone position, leaving the lineup somewhere around here:

1. Ramón Laureano, DH
2. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
3. Jackson Merrill, CF
4. Manny Machado, 3B
5. Xander Bogaerts, SS
6. Gavin Sheets, 1B
7. Sung-Mun Song, 2B
8. Luis Campusano, C
9. Bryce Johnson, LF Johnson could give Laureano a rest day while still keeping his bat in the lineup. However, Stammen has seemed to prioritize rest days as just that: days to fully rest. Meaning no designated hitter, no nothing apart from a possible pinch-hit opportunity late in the game.

Relief corps

Well, he did it. He really did it. Yesterday Mason Miller etched his name into the record books by closing out his MLB-leading 10th save of the season and continuing his scoreless streak. He now holds the franchise record for scoreless innings pitched at 34 2/3. With Márquez getting through six frames, the Friars used their three highest-leverage arms in Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam and Miller. That’s their pitching plan executed to perfection. Today that will leave Kyle Hart, Ron Marinaccio, David Morgan, Wandy Peralta and Bradgley Rodriguez in the relief corps. Should King stumble, Hart or Peralta will likely be called on to fill multiple innings. Though Morgan has shown an ability to cover several innings quite well. Regardless, don’t expect Miller (or anyone else from yesterday’s game) to pitch two games in a row. The Padres will need their star reliever rested, especially with the homestand beginning tomorrow against the Cubs.