Sports
Padres Face Marlins in Key Series After All-Star Break
San Diego, CA – The San Diego Padres will take on the Miami Marlins this week in a crucial series as both teams strive for playoff positioning. After winning two out of three games against the Washington Nationals, the Padres are just 3½ games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West and are also leading the wild-card race by 2½ games over the San Francisco Giants.
The Padres, currently 54-45, are looking to maintain their momentum. They previously faced the Marlins in late May, where they also secured two wins out of three games.
The Marlins, sitting at 46-52, have faced ups and downs this season but recently won six of their last ten games. Their latest loss came against the Kansas City Royals, ending a four-game winning streak. Miami has a run differential of minus-55 and struggles with a 5.01 ERA in their starting rotation.
In the series opener on Monday, Padres right-hander Randy Vásquez (3-4, 3.80 ERA) will take the mound. Despite having only two quality starts in his last eight outings, the Padres have won six of those games. In a previous matchup against the Marlins, Vásquez allowed three runs over 6⅓ innings.
His counterpart, Marlins RHP Eury Pérez (3-2, 3.18 ERA), is making his first appearance against the Padres. At just 22 years old, Pérez has 35 strikeouts in 34 innings since returning from Tommy John surgery in 2024.
On Tuesday, the Padres will announce their starting pitcher for Game 2. Right-hander Ryan Bergert (1-0, 2.84 ERA) is eligible to return from Triple-A El Paso and may be a candidate. The Marlins will start Edward Cabrera (3-4, 3.61 ERA), who is coming off a rough outing after a streak of eight games allowing two runs or less.
Wednesday will feature Padres RHP Dylan Cease (3-9, 4.64 ERA), who recently struck out ten over 5⅓ innings in his last game. On the other side, Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara (4-9, 7.14 ERA) continues to struggle, notching only three quality starts this season.
In injury news, Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill is day-to-day due to illness, while pitcher Michael King is focusing on recovery after becoming a new father. The Marlins will be without third baseman Connor Norby for six to eight weeks due to surgery on his hamate bone.
