Padres Daily: Promising day; Stammen's cover; new guys come up big; Tatis the leading man

Good morning from Baltimore,

There is no telling with this team.

With any team, really.

But the 2026 Padres have been particularly confounding. So it is impossible to know whether a game like yesterday, in which they scored more runs (nine) than they had in any of their previous 33 games and hit more home runs (five) than they had in any game all season, will have a carryover.

They were not saying it would.

They were not saying it wouldn't.

"We're dogs," Jackson Merrill said. "Look around the clubhouse. We're dogs. We've got the guys to get on a roll here."

The Padres knew they had gotten to a rookie starting pitcher and a struggling reliever and hit the ball in the air in a ballpark that is as hitter-friendly as any at sea level.

"I think it’s nice to hit in Camden Yards rather than Petco Park sometimes," manager Craig Stammen said. "The heat and humidity, players seem to like that a little bit. But it’s nice for those guys to feel, ‘Hey, we still got it’ and it’s not just words from the coaching staff or words from other players, but they go out and actually see the results for all the work they’ve put in."

But maybe that is all they needed.

"We scored some runs," Manny Machado said. "We hit the ball well. We hit the ball out of the ballpark. It's pretty nice playing at Camden Yards instead of Petco. We've just got to take advantage when we go on the road."

The Padres' 17 times on base (six walks, one hit batter) yesterday were their most since May 5 (33 games). But they reached double digits in hits (10) for the third time in the past four games. For about a week, they have been hitting the ball harder more often and striking out less.

Here is an updated version of the chart in yesterday's newsletter regarding the relative warmth of the offense:

"We’ve been taking consistent at-bats," Machado said. "We just need to continue doing that. I've said it before, said it many times: hitting is contagious. When one guy goes, everyone starts going, just like when someone gets cold, a lot of us get cold. We’ve been on a cold streak. As of late, we’ve been hitting the ball really hard. It just takes one guy to get going, and then we’re all gonna start hitting.

"I’ve been around baseball quite a bit now - for a couple days now - so I know things will turn around."

You can read in my game story (here) about an afternoon with as much drama as offense that ended with the Padres winning 9-3.

You can read more about the drama - including the prognosis for Xander Bogaerts and Freddy Fermin after both were hit in the head by baseballs – and some roster moves in my postgame notebook (here).

Steamed Stammen

Stammen could hardly get tossed a couple weeks ago in a situation in which managers by rule are supposed to be ejected.

He is just that nice and generally reserved. As a credo, he watches the words that come from his mouth and the way he presents himself.

Anyone who has played cards or golf or baseball with him knows he is highly competitive. But he is a gentleman and a man who strives to live out his Christian faith in every deed.

However, he is the first to tell you he is not perfect, which is part of why he is so gracious with others.

But yesterday, well, there is a reason he covered his mouth with his hand virtually the entire time he confronted umpire Chris Conroy after Ron Marinaccio was ejected for hitting Gunnar Henderson with a pitch in the ninth inning.

"I was mad," he said. "I was not as proud of what I said. Put it that way. Sometimes you’re proud of how you can hold your temper, and this one was probably not as proud."

Thinking ahead months ago to the eventuality of his arguing with umpires, Stammen said it would be a priority to not end up on Jomboy, the social media account that has an uncanny ability (and entertaining) ability to read lips and break down one-field back-and-forths.

Stammen was on Jomboy yesterday. But there wasn't much to be gleaned from his conversation with Conroy.

It was what it was

The Orioles seemed convinced Marinaccio's pitch was intentional.

"I'm not saying the ball to Gunnar was on purpose, but it was done the right way," manager Craig Albernaz said. "That's why there was no gripes from us. Gunnar was fine with it."

Things was, though, Henderson did have a problem with being hit in the ninth inning. He was certain that two inside pitches from Bradgley Rodriguez in the seventh inning were attempts to hit him.

"I guess they were making up for missing," Henderson said. "They had their two opportunities in my previous at-bat and missed. I thought that should have been the end of it. I guess they were trying to get payback. I guess we're even now."

Stammen, who for the first time this season was still agitated after the game, asserted that the pitches by Rodrigurez were merely evidence that the Padres were consistently trying to pitch Henderson inside given his power potential.

"If he gets extended, he’s going to do what he did yesterday," Stammen said, referring to Henderson's 14th home run of the season on Friday night. "That’s part of pitching - to be able to pitch inside, pitch between the plate and the body."

Perhaps the greatest evidence the Padres were not throwing at Henderson - and another source of irritation for Stammen - was that the only available pitchers after Marinaccio were Adrian Morejón and Mason Miller. Morejón ended up having to come in for the final out.

"My job is to go out there and finish that game right there," Marinaccio said. So I’m not happy about Adrian having to get in there. He's a great hitter. You have to make hitters like that uncomfortable at times. I pulled a fastball a little bit too much there."

As for the incidents that led up to the umpire crew determining Marinaccio was retaliating, the Padres by and large did not think there was any intent behind Orioles starter Trey Gibson's 94 mph fastball hitting Bogaerts or the 93 mph fastball six pitches earlier that buzzed Machado's head.

"I don't think it was intentional," Machado said. "He was erratic early on. Then he got into a groove in the middle and lost it at the end. It's just baseball."

Infusion

The changes kept coming.

The Padres roster has been remodeled over the past two weeks.

It's not the kind of makeover that generally means something good, such as when a team goes all-in at the trade deadline.

No, the Padres yesterday added another player from Triple-A when they called up Nick Solak and placed Miguel Andujar on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.

(You can read about the prognosis for Andujar and where Solak might fit in my notebook.)

Three of the new players were in the starting lineup. By game's end, Solak had subbed in for Will Wagner, another of the new additions. Plus, catcher Rodolfo Durán, called up May 7 to make his MLB debut after 11 minor-league seasons, had replaced Fermin.

It is not the Padres' intention to go the entirety of the season with the roster as it is. But four guys who have spent most of this season in Triple-A and/or most of their careers in the minor leagues drove in a total of five runs and had six of the Padres' hits yesterday.

Big addition

Samad Taylor doesn't have any problem being 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds.

"Small guy, I’m gonna put the bat on the ball, and I’m gonna run," he said yesterday in explaining his sprinting at the start of his home run trot in the first inning.

But he sure does carry himself like he is 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds.

That is a source of amusement for Gavin Sheets, who is every bit of 6-3, 235.

When it was mentioned to Sheets that Taylor has the swagger of a giant, Sheets chuckled.

"I love it," he said. "Spark plug."

Taylor certainly continues to be that.

He was called up June 3 to take the roster spot made available when Nick Castellanos was designated for assignment. After going 0-for-2 in his first game, which he entered as a pinch-hitter, Taylor has gone 9-for-22 with eight RBIs, three walks and two stolen bases while starting the past six games in left field.

His home run, the first of his career (in his 107th plate appearance), was the second time one of Taylor's RBIs has served as the deciding run. He also has a go-ahead RBI and two game-tying RBIs.

"The little guy, he’s been really hot for us," Machado said. "He’s been a big spark to our lineup."

Yes, the Padres are increasingly enamored with Taylor, who spends a lot of time buzzing around the clubhouse and dugout talking with teammates before, during and after games.

"He's a little grinder," Merrill said. "He's got everything in him that helps us win baseball games.

Homecoming

Merrill hit his second home run at Camden Yards, which is about a half-hour from where he grew up.

This was his first as a professional.

The first one came about two weeks before he was drafted in the first round by the Padres in 2021 when he pulled a pitch down the right field line in the Brooks Robinson High School All-Star Game. Yesterday's blast was to the gap in left-center.

"As a high schooler, it was pretty cool," Merrill said. "I wasn’t really a power hitter, so hitting one at Camden Yards is pretty cool. To hit one now, all I can think about was winning the ballgame."

As was the case when the Padres played here his rookie year in 2024, both games this weekend have been attended by well over 100 family and friends who have sat together in a section of seats beyond center field.

A second to appreciate

The Padres scoring twice in the top of the fifth to extend their lead to four runs was the biggest reason Randy Vásquez was allowed to finish five innings yesterday.

But he got an assist from Fernando Tatis Jr. too.

After Vásquez walked the first batter he faced in that inning, Henderson grounded a ball up the middle that Tatis fielded just to the right of second base. He was headed toward the bag as he made the play, and rather than flip the ball to Bogaerts, Tatis simply kept going after stepping on the base and slung the ball back across his body to get Henderson at first.

"Just momentum," Tatis said.

"Listen, he’s been an infielder before, right, but you’re playing on the left side of the infield, which is a little bit different throw," Machado said. "You go over to the right side, that’s a different angle. So to be able to come across the bag like that and make a throw going the other way, I mean, that’s tough. That’s a tough play. It’s not as easy as he makes it look."

I wrote in a recent newsletter about Bogaerts' high praise for Tatis making the transition, one that Bogaerts did not find so easy back in 2024.

Third one is the toughest

The splits show that Vásquez has had trouble with two outs.

It really is just two games that he has struggled. Including yesterday.

Vásquez retired the first two batters he faced in the first four innings and then had at least one batter reach base. After the double play in the fifth, he allowed another single before finishing his day.

In all, the first two batters in the inning were 0-for-9 with a walk against Vásquez yesterday. But the Orioles were 6-for-11 with a home run and a triple.

Vásquez had to get two third outs in the third inning after his curveball that struck out Leody Taveras bounced and got through Fermin's legs, allowing Taveras to get to first base. And Vásquez never got a third out in the fourth. Instead, Fermin threw out Blaze Alexander trying to steal second base to end that inning.

Vásquez's two-out adventures yesterday arguably paled in comparison to three starts earlier against the Phillies.

On May 25, he retired the first two batters in each of the first three innings before surrendering a solo home run to the third batter in all three innings.

There is no doubt Vásquez plays with fire and has better results when he doesn't do so. But he is remarkable when in trouble.

Opponents are batting .175 against him with runners on base and .153 with runners in scoring position. Both numbers are significantly below the MLB averages.

"That’s kind of Randy for you," Stammen said. "He kind of hangs in there, he competes his tail off and figures out a way to have a good game."

In all, Vásquez has allowed a .305 average and .902 OPS with two outs. But without those two games, the numbers are .233 and .642.

"It's just not trying to be too perfect," Vásquez said through interpreter Pedro Gutiérrez when asked how he can avoid having innings extended. "Just try to stick to my plan, don't overdo things. Just trust myself to continue to do what has been successful for me."

Leading man

Tatis has been back in the leadoff spot for 24 games. Over the past 20 games, he has reached base 13 times in the first inning. He has done so both of the past two days and scored both times. That is after he scored just twice in the first inning of the previous 18 games.

For the season, Tatis is batting .317/.369/.417 in the leadoff spot. His average is third-best among qualifying No.1 batters. His on-base percentage is 16th.

He was 1-for-4 with a walk yesterday to increase his on-base streak to eight games.

He is batting .315/.382/.400 over his past 33 games and .354/.407/.465 in the 24 games since being back in the top spot.

Tidbits

• Sheets also returned home this week. And he continued to rake at the ballpark he used to run around as a kid. After going 2-for-4 with a double on Friday, he was 1-for-4 with a home run and a walk yesterday and is batting .356/.408/.533 in 12 career games (49 plate appearances) at the Camden Yards.
• Two innings after Sheets moved into a tie with Machado for the team home run lead, Machado belted his 12th homer. He has an extra-base hit in four consecutive games, his longest such streak since August 2024. He is 6-for-13 with four doubles and a home run in the four games, which has raised his season batting average 12 points (to .178).
• The Padres' four-run first inning was their first time scoring that many runs in an inning since May 17 (23 games) and their first time this season scoring more than three runs in any of the first three innings of a game.
• The home runs by Merrill and Taylor were the Padres' sixth and seventh first-inning homers. They began the day tied with the Cubs for fewest first-inning homers.
• Durán is batting .133 (4-for-30). But his hits are not cheap. He has two home runs and a double.
• The Padres will be trying to win their second consecutive series today. If they do so, it will mean they won a second straight game for the first time since May 22 and 23. They are 5-13 in that span.

All right, that’s it for me. Early game today (10:35 a.m. PT) and then a flight (hopefully) to St. Louis.

Thunderstorms are in the forecast. A storm could interrupt the game and/or delay travel. So this should be fun.

Talk to you tomorrow.

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