Skip to main content
Inside The Padres

Padres Notes: SD Cuts Veteran Pitcher, Joe Musgrove Bad News, Walker Buehler Postseason Role

Catch up on all the latest Padres news and notes.
Gabe Smallson|
Sep 4, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Walker Buehler (10) delivers during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Sep 4, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Walker Buehler (10) delivers during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In this story:

San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-1, on Wednesday night and improved to 88-70 on the year.

Robbie Ray struck out a pair of Dodgers and surrendered just one earned run across 3.1 innings or work, but it was the combined dominance of five relievers that allowed just three hits and struck out six over the remaining 5.2 scoreless innings to secure the win.

Offensively, Manny Machado got the scoring started with a towering two-run home run (that would have been a solo shot if not for Ethan Salas' challenge) in the fourth inning. Fellow superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. had an impressive three-hit performance in a game that gave the Padres the chance to take the series from the two-time defending champions on Thursday.

Ahead of the eventual victory, the Padres designated a veteran pitcher for assignment and optioned another pitcher to the Arizona Complex League. In a corresponding move, right-hander Jason Adam was activated off the injured list and is set to imminently make his first appearance since the end of June.

In other news, right-hander Joe Musgrove has more bad news regarding his long-awaited 2026 debut. Manager Craig Stammen provided an update on the hurler and how neither side wants him to rush back to the mound before he can be the most effective possible.

"When you add somebody to the roster, somebody goes off the roster," Padres manager Craig Stammen said recently. "And Joe has got to feel comfortable that he can — he wants to help our team win. He doesn’t just want to [just] pitch. And so we want him to be as comfortable as he can in that situation."

Finally, to round out the pitching news, right-hander Walker Buehler's role in the postseason is becoming a little more clear despite a 5.36 ERA through the first half of the season. Buehler has a 3.39 mark during the second half, plus a stellar postseason resume which appears to be more of a reason for Stammen to trust him as a big-game pitcher.

“I think that’s who he is,” Stammen said of that categorization. “That’s his persona: ‘Give me the ball in a big game and I’ll give you a good start.’ That’s not easy to do. A lot of guys can’t elevate their game in that way or be able to stay in that same space that they are constantly.

“He has that unique ability, and I think we’ve seen that throughout his entire career. Now it’s nice to have that type of personality on our team.”

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

Padres Cut Ties With 4-Year Veteran, Add Jason Adam to Bullpen Amid Series vs Dodgers

Padres' Joe Musgrove Acknowledges He May Not Return This Season

Padres Announce Starting Lineup for Wednesday's Game vs Dodgers

Padres Tweets of the Day

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X/Twitter for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
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.

Share on XFollow gabesmallson
Home/San Diego Padres News