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Padres Notes: Magic Number Shrinks, Jason Adam Struggles, Manny Machado Trade?

Catch up on all the latest Padres news and notes.
Gabe Smallson|
Sep 17, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Sep 17, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres beat the Miami Marlins, 8-2, on Friday night and improved to 85-69 on the year.

As San Diego's magic number shrinks to four, they are not only five games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for a wild-card spot, but currently have an identical record to both the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs, creating a three-way tie in the National League wild-card race.

With eight games to go until the postseason, the Padres must continue to push the pedal to the floor as they currently sit as the No. 6 seed due to having lost their season series's to both of their wild-card counterparts.

In order to get to this three-way tie, right-hander Nick Pivetta struck out four across five innings of work and allowed just one earned run along the way. Additionally, Dustin Harris, Ty France, Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth and Samad Taylor each had two-hits apiece in the offensive explosion.

Jackson Merrill obliterated a 432-foot solo shot in the eighth inning as France collected a three-run home run as part of a six-run fifth inning (an inning that they entered down one run).

Speaking of France — who is hitting .301 on the year and a ludicrous .467 across the past seven games — spoke on his team playing their best baseball of the year at the perfect time, despite a tumultuous start to the 2026 campaign.

“You want to be hot at the right time and this is the right time,” France. “So just going to continue to play our game, not look too far ahead, but understand what’s at stake and try and accomplish what we came here to do.”

Ahead of the eventual victory, right-hander Jason Adam made his second rehab appearance in Triple-A, and things have not gone as planned, to say the least. In those two outings, he has recorded just one out to nine earned runs off of seven hits.

If the All-Star reliever can't get back to familiar form soon, perhaps he won't be trusted with high-leverage situations in October.

Finally, superstar Manny Machado has been floated in trade rumors (despite a no-trade clause) amid an insider's speculation of the new team owners aiming to shed payroll. Machado's batting average is below league average at .219, but he has added 28 home runs (already eclipsing last year's total in nine fewer games) and collected 84 RBIs.

Here’s all the latest Padres news and stories (click the headline for the full article):

Where Padres Stand in Wild-Card Race After Comeback Win vs Marlins, Losses by Cubs and Phillies

Padres' Manny Machado Floated as Trade Candidate as New Owners Aim to Shed Payroll

Padres Announce Starting Pitchers for Critical Series vs Streaking Marlins

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Gabe Smallson
GABE SMALLSON

Gabe Smallson is a sportswriter based in Los Angeles with a focus in sports and entertainment content. Gabe has previously worked at Newsweek and Dodgers Nation. He graduated from San Francisco State University in 2020 and received his Masters of Science at the University of Southern California in 2025.

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