Padres Daily: Stammen believes in Manny, so does Manny; Merrill runs; Buehler starts well

Good morning from Arlington, Texas,

Craig Stammen has a friendly greeting for reporters after almost every game. He is almost always smiling, win or lose.

Oh, but the Padres manager was ready with the joking last night.

"That’s why he’s hitting in the spots in the lineup that he’s normally hitting in," Stammen said as a smile spread across his face.

It was a nod to a recent conversation - not the first - in which he was questioned about potentially moving Manny Machado down in the lineup. Stammen has maintained all season that he believes Machado is best suited to be hitting third or fourth and that he believes the numbers will eventually justify that conviction.

Stammen imparted his confidence directly to Machado in yesterday’s 10th inning by way of a pat on the backside and an encouraging word before Machado stepped on the field with his bat in hand.

"Do it like you’ve done it a million times," Stammen recalled telling Machado. "Because he has done it a million times. … He has had the career he has had, he is the person that he is, he has the confidence in himself that is undeniable, and that makes him believe in those situations he’s the best man at the plate."

You can read in my game story (here) about Machado ripping a three-run homer in the 10th inning of the Padres' 6-4 victory over the Rangers and how Machado, who drove in five runs in all, certainly does have that kind confidence.

The story included a quote in which he acknowledged the reality of the numbers we all see on the scoreboard when he comes to bat but maintained he still garners respect from opposing pitchers because he remains a dangerous hitter.

"You see the back of my jersey, and you're gonna know who I am," he said.

Well, sure. That name will continue to matter if he can continue to do what he did for his two extra-base hits yesterday and punish pitches that should be punished.

I wrote on Thursday about the Padres' offensive troubles and what the organization feels about hitting coach Steven Souza Jr. In that story (here) were updated numbers on how Machado has not hit fastballs in the strike zone at anywhere near the rate he has in the past.

We have discussed it a lot in the newsletter and in other stories (like this one from the start of this trip about Machado's offseason work).

Aside from the fact he squared to bunt before pulling back on the first pitch - "I was trying to get a hit. Guy was playing back at third base." - the home run at-bat was like a time warp back to one of the past six seasons.

Machado laid off a slider that broke down and out of the zone to get to 2-0 against right-hander Joe Ross and then hit a sinker in the heart of the zone on a line at 108 mph to left-center field, where it was caught by a man in a Padres jersey some 408 feet from home plate.

"After he threw one down there, and I took the next pitch, I kind of felt a little confidence that I laid off his best pitch," Machado said. "So now I can go out there and be myself and be aggressive on a pitch that I want to hit. I think I've just got to put myself in more of those situations."

Hit and run

Jackson Merrill had another multi-hit game, and he had added multiple stolen bases.

He was 3-for-5 yesterday and has multiple hits in half of the past 10 games. He also stole second base twice, his first game with multiple steals since his rookie season in 2024.

"I just feel healthy," he said. "I thought I would be able to steal more bags this year. I think I came out of the gate kind of trying to steal more last year. But I got thrown out a couple times."

He laughed at that.

After stealing 16 bases in 19 tries in ‘24, Merrill was 1-for-3 in steal attempts in his first 44 games last season. In the 44th game, on June 14 in Arizona, he was tagged out hard on the front of his helmet and suffered a concussion that put him on the injured list for a week. He did not attempt another steal in a season in which he played just 115 games and spent three stints on the IL.

The only time Merrill has been caught in his 15 steal attempts this season was when he slid past second base and was tagged for the final out of a loss May 31 in Washington.

"I’m just happy to be healthy, be able to run and help the team in those ways," he said. "I'm not hitting doubles. So kind of steal my way there."

Merrill, whose two-out single in the eighth inning tied yesterday's game 3-3, has raised his average 18 points (to .216) by going 14-for-46 over the past 10 games.

I wrote Friday (here) about Merrill getting back to what made him successful earlier in his career. One of those things is being aggressive.

Two of Merrill's singles yesterday came on the only pitch he saw in the strike zone in that at-bat.

"Trying not to be in-between," he said. "Trying to be on the go and trust my eyes instead of looking for a pitch and then swinging."

Miller pitches

Mason Miller returned to the mound yesterday amid an ongoing family crisis, working the 10th inning to earn his 20th save.

"The guys are really supportive," Miller said. "… The coaching staff, training staff, players in this locker room and everybody not only has my back, but everybody in this room has each others too. So it’s just really special when you get that opportunity to lean into those people around you."

Miller missed the Padres' series in St. Louis at the start of the week while home in the Pittsburgh area attending to a matter he has asked be kept private. He threw off a mound while he was home and rejoined the team here Friday.

"I have resources at home, some facilities there," he said. "Just tried to stay ready and not come back unprepared, because that's not fair to anybody here."

Miller got a fly ball out that moved the automatic runner to third base and then a strikeout before a single by Wyatt Langford brought in a run. That run was unearned, and Miller's season ERA dropped to 0.87 in 31 innings (30 appearances).

Starting strong

Walker Buehler has been the Padres' most consistent starting pitcher, which is both good and leaves a lot to be desired from everyone else.

Buehler keeps giving the Padres a legitimate chance to win. He has allowed more than two runs just once in his past eight starts and pitched at least five innings in all but one of those starts.

But he has completed six innings just twice.

Buehler retired nine straight between Josh Jung's one-out single in the first inning and Wyatt Langford's one-out walk in the fourth. He got out of that inning with help from a magnificent grab-and-tag by Machado at third base, and he stranded a runner at second in the fifth.

Buehler once again found trouble he could not get out of in the sixth when he allowed consecutive doubles with one out.

Kyle Hart got the next two outs to keep Buehler from being charged with a second run.

Buehler has a 2.76 ERA over his past eight starts (42⅓ innings). He has become a fascinating watch, as he uses his arsenal differently almost every outing and stalks around the mound and infield like a rooster.

He is attacking the strike zone better than any Padres starter too. His 68.5% first-pitch strike rate ranks fifth in the major leagues. He walked one batter yesterday and has a 5.6% walk rate over his past nine starts.

If Buehler could maintain his command and figure out a way to navigate into the third time through the order, it would not be such a good news/bad news situation that he is their best starter.

Still, with a rotation that ranks 23rd in ERA (4.64) and 25th in innings pitched and too often is putting the offense in a bind, Buehler should be appreciated.

"He just gets us off to a good start," Stammen said. "He’s been very good early in games. He allows us to get our offense going a little and give them a chance to score runs. He’s not giving up very many hits, he’s not walking anybody, he’s getting ahead, he’s just very efficient. He’s pitching like a pitcher that knows what he’s doing out there with a lot of confidence. And we know Walker doesn’t lack confidence, and he’s using that to the best of his abilities out there on the mound. It’s fun to watch him pitch."

I strongly recommend Annie Heilbrunn's recent Q&A with Buehler (here) for your reading. It is full of magnificent information about one of the team's most interesting and accomplished players.

On the verge

Miguel Andujar participated in a battery of running drills and continued to hit and field yesterday, a day after testing his left hamstring by running the bases.

"Very soon," Andujar said of his return.

Andujar, who has hit .254 with a .706 OPS in 54 games (49 starts) this season while serving mostly as designated hitter, could be activated off the IL as soon as today.

The Padres called up Nick Solak to take Andujar's roster spot. Solak was 0-for-2 with a walk and was hit by a pitch yesterday and is 1-for-7 in four games.

Tidbits

• Samad Taylor's bunt single in the first inning extended his hitting streak to 11 games, the longest by a Padres player this season. He has at least one hit in all 11 games he has started since being called up on June 3. Taylor scored twice yesterday and has scored and/or driven in a run in 10 of his 11 starts.
• Adrian Morejón took over to start the eighth inning and threw 35 pitches to eight batters in his two scoreless innings for his sixth win of the season. His 19 wins since the start of 2025 are four more than any other relief pitcher in that span.
• Hart has worked 4⅓ scoreless innings and stranded both runners he has inherited in his three appearances since being recalled on Monday.
• Fernando Tatis Jr. doubled twice yesterday and has his OPS up to a season-high .702. That is a 107-point improvement he has achieved over the past 24 games, during which he is batting .363/.400/.500 in 110 plate appearances.
• Catcher Blake Hunt made his first major league start yesterday. He struck out all three times he went to the plate. But he did well handling his position, including the four pitchers he caught.
• Rodolfo Durán pinch-hit for Hunt in the ninth inning and caught the final two innings. He will catch today, as the Padres use Wandy Peralta to open before Lucas Giolito pitches. That combination began Monday's game in St. Louis with Peralta working a perfect first inning and Giolito allowing three runs over five innings.

All right, that's it for me. Early game today (11:35 a.m. PT) and then a flight home to bring this 11-day trip to a close.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.