The San Diego Padres, in playoff contention once again, are making a strong push toward a World Series title. General Manager A.J. Preller demonstrated his commitment to winning by completing five trades on Thursday, acquiring Mason Miller, J.P. Sears, Freddy Fermin, Ryan O’Hearn, Ramon Laureano, Will Wagner, and Nestor Cortes. These additions fill several key needs across the roster.
Some of the newly acquired players may make their Padres debut on Friday night when San Diego begins a three-game home series against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Padres are riding a five-game winning streak and hold a 3.5-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds for the National League’s final wild-card spot. They are also just three games behind the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
Preller’s moves not only bolstered the bullpen—already featuring three All-Stars—but also deepened the bench and lineup. Importantly, the Padres retained starting pitcher Dylan Cease and MLB saves leader Robert Suarez, both of whom had been rumored as trade chips leading up to the deadline.
Manager Mike Shildt expressed confidence in his team even before the trades were finalized. Following a 5-0 victory over the New York Mets on Wednesday to complete a series sweep, Shildt said, “The team we have, I love. As far as expectations go, I love the 26 we have right now.”
On the mound for the Padres Friday night will be right-hander Nick Pivetta, who owns a 10-3 record and a 2.81 ERA. Despite a recent 3-0 loss in St. Louis—where he allowed three runs (two earned) over 6 1/3 innings—Pivetta is having a breakout season and is likely to be the team’s Game 1 starter in a postseason series. He has a 3-2 record and a 3.38 ERA in seven career starts versus the Cardinals.
St. Louis will counter with left-hander Matthew Liberatore (6-8, 4.04 ERA), who took a 3-1 loss against the Padres last Saturday. In that game, Liberatore gave up two runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings, striking out three. He has yet to beat the Padres in his career, with an 0-2 record and a 2.79 ERA in six appearances.
The Cardinals, trailing San Diego by 5.5 games for the final wild-card berth, have shifted into sell mode after a post-All-Star break slump that saw them lose nine of 13 games. That included back-to-back shutout losses to the Miami Marlins, capped by a 2-0 defeat on Wednesday. July was particularly rough for St. Louis, which was shut out six times and finished the month with an 8-16 record.
In response, the Cardinals front office traded away several key veterans: closer Ryan Helsley to the Mets, lefty reliever Steven Matz to the Red Sox, and righty Phil Maton to the Rangers. However, first baseman Willson Contreras appears to be staying put. He told outgoing club president John Mozeliak that he wants to remain with the team, and Mozeliak agreed.
“It’s a business and (Mozeliak) doesn’t seem like he wants to trade me,” Contreras said. “He said no and I said no, so we’re good.”
San Diego and St. Louis split a tense four-game series last weekend that included two bench-clearing incidents after batters were hit by pitches. The rematch promises to carry that same intensity, with both teams in very different positions heading into the final stretch of the season.
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