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Padres Notes: Pitcher Out for Season With Injury, Wild-Card Opponent Set, SD Clinches Home-Field Advantage

Catch up on all the latest Padres news and notes.
Gabe Smallson|
Aug 22, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Casey Mize (32) leaves the field during third inning against the Minnesota Twins at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images
Aug 22, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Casey Mize (32) leaves the field during third inning against the Minnesota Twins at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 10-7, on Sunday and improved to 90-71. With the win, the Friars will officially host their wild-card series against the Chicago Cubs.

Walker Buehler struck out three and allowed as many runs in 3.2 innings of work. Yuki Matsui needed just four pitches to get out of the inning and was credited with the win as the bullpen allowed just two hits until an uncharacteristic appearance from Mason Miller, allowing three earned runs in the ninth inning.

The reason that there was no blown save/loss recorded from Miller was largely due to the offensive explosion that preceded it. Dustin Harris, Manny Machado, Jackson Merril, Jake Cronenworth and Ethan Salas all had two-hit nights.

Machado's second hit of the night was a go-ahead three-run home run in the fourth inning, his 30th of the season. It is the eighth 30-plus home run season for the future Hall of Famer.

Ahead of the eventual victory, the Padres placed right-hander Casey Mize on the injured list with an ankle injury, effectively ending his season with the soonest possible time to return being the NLCS. He has a 7.46 ERA in 10 starts with the Padres since being traded to San Diego, striking out 25 to 19 walks in that span.

Among other corresponding moves from placing Mize on the IL — and one that should bring an enormous bat back in the lineup at the perfect time — is that Gavin Sheets was reinstated from the injured list. Sheets has had a down year offensively, but has proven the kind of pop in his bat he can deliver with above-average bat speed as well as 35 home runs in his first two seasons on the Padres.

Finally, the road to bringing the first World Series championship to San Diego will start at Petco Park. The Cubs (4-6 in their last 10 games) are the Friars' opponent for a wild-card round that will begin on Tuesday and be televised on NBC.

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

Padres Place All-Star Pitcher on Injured List Days Before Postseason

Padres Make Roster Move, Get Massive Boost Amid Critical Diamondbacks Series

Padres New Owner Sends Clear Warning to Rival Teams Ahead of Postseason

Fernando Tatis Jr Blatantly Tells Padres' AJ Preller to Sign Free Agent

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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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