On July 7, the Padres celebrated All-Stars Machado & Tatis Jr. but fell 8-7 to the Diamondbacks in a 10-inning heartbreaker. A day of highs and lows.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It was a day of dizzying highs and crushing lows for Padres fans. Just as the celebratory news of three Friars being named to the All-Star team settled in, the team delivered a gut-punch of a loss, falling 8-7 to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 10-inning thriller at Petco Park. It's a classic case of one step forward, one step back, leaving the Friar Faithful toasting individual success while lamenting a collective failure.
Named a National League starter for the fourth time, Manny Machado now sits just two hits away from the 2,000-hit milestone.
The game itself was a roller-coaster. Starter Nick Pivetta battled, but the real drama unfolded late. After clawing back to tie the game in the ninth inning and sending Petco Park into a frenzy, the Padres' Achilles' heel—the bullpen—faltered once more. The Diamondbacks pushed across the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th, and San Diego couldn't answer. Despite multi-hit efforts from Manny Machado and two runs scored by Fernando Tatis Jr., it wasn't enough to overcome the bullpen's inability to lock down the win, dropping the team to 47-41 on the season.
The sting of the loss can't completely overshadow the day's great news: Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Jason Adam are 2025 MLB All-Stars. For Machado, it's his seventh selection and a well-deserved starting nod at third base for the NL. Tatis, despite some inconsistencies, earned his third trip by showcasing his elite power-speed combo with 15 homers and 15 steals. Perhaps the best story is Jason Adam, whose stellar work out of the bullpen earned him his first-ever All-Star selection, a bright spot in an otherwise shaky relief corps.
Monday's bullpen collapse wasn't a fluke; it's the central issue the front office is desperately trying to solve. The loss puts the team's recent roster moves into sharp focus. Optioning an inconsistent Matt Waldron for a fresh arm in Ron Marinaccio and calling up hard-throwing rookie Eduarniel Núñez were clear attempts to find a stable formula. While Adam's All-Star selection proves there's talent in the 'pen, the lack of consistency from the group as a whole remains the biggest hurdle between this team and true contention.
As the dust settles, the Padres remain in second place in the NL West, but the path forward is clear. They have the star power, evidenced by their All-Star trio, to compete with anyone. But until they can consistently close out tight games like Monday's, the ceiling for this team remains frustratingly out of reach. With the All-Star break on the horizon, the hope is that a short rest and perhaps another move from the front office can finally bring the stability this team desperately needs for the second-half push.
