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Padres Notes: Where SD Stands in Wild-Card, Ex-Padre Could Retire, Luis Campusano Breakout

Catch up on all the latest Padres news and notes.
Gabe Smallson|
Sep 11, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano (12) walks off after striking out during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images
Sep 11, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano (12) walks off after striking out during the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres beat the San Francisco Giants, 7-6, on Saturday afternoon and improved to 80-68 on the year.

Michael King struck out four across seven innings of work and allowed three earned runs off of five hits. Mason Miller secured save No. 36 on the year, tying him for the second-most in MLB this season.

Offensively, Fernando Tatis Jr. had a two-hit performance with one of those hits landing 421 feet away to extend the lead in the sixth ining. Jackson Merrill had a solo shot of his own, Austin Hays added a pair of hits and Xander Bogaerts went 4-for-5 in a day when the Friars collected 13 total hits.

With the win — the Padres' sixth in-a-row — as well as the Arizona Diamondbacks' loss, the Friars now have a 1.5 game advantage for the final wild-card spot in the National League. Not only are they creating distance between them and the Diamondbacks, but they are just 1.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies and 2.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs for a more favorable wild-card placement.

In other news, a former Padres All-Star may retire as he nears the end of his 12th season in MLB. The once closer for San Diego spoke to Aiden Stepansky of MLB.com about the perspective he now has in addition to his oldest child already being eight years old.

Finally, after tons of struggle at the major league level in years past, catcher Luis Campusano is finally breaking out. The man who once hit a home run in his MLB debut despite never playing in Double-A or Triple-A at the time has gathered significant attention from fans, coaches and even superstar teammates who rose the ranks of the organization with him.

“I’m so happy for [Campusano],” Fernando Tatis Jr. said to the San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee. “Just the confidence that they have [given] him to just go out there and perform. You know, it was something that was missing a little bit back in the years. But this year, they — we have built together as a team, especially him, giving him a chance to, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, just swing the bat. And I feel like that has [given] him confidence to show the quality of a baseball player that he really is.”

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

Former Padres All-Star Could Suddenly Retire Amid 12th Season in MLB

Padres' 27-Year-Old Ex-Top Prospect Has Finally Broken Out After Years of Struggles

Padres' Ex-Top Prospect Leo De Vries Undergoing Surgery, Will Miss Significant Time

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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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