Twelve innings, and San Diego still could not finish it
One-for-13 with runners in scoring position. That number is the whole story of Monday night at Petco Park, where the Pirates outlasted the Padres 3-2 in 12 innings and finally snapped a miserable stretch. Pittsburgh had just been swept by the Dodgers over the weekend.
The bullpen covered the last 18 outs. San Diego kept walking away empty. They loaded the bases with one out in the 11th, then watched Jackson Merrill strike out and Xander Bogaerts lift a lazy fly ball.
“Clearly missed chances,” manager Craig Stammen said. “We are going to regret that one. We had several opportunities to win that game.” It was only San Diego’s eighth loss in its last 29 games. Their eight-game home winning streak is gone.
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A 5.67 ERA since July is not a Cy Young winner’s line
Paul Skenes gets the ball Tuesday night with a chance to lock up the series. The 24-year-old right-hander sits at 9-11 with a 3.95 ERA. That is not the pitcher who took home the National League Cy Young Award in 2025.
Since July 1 his ERA has climbed to 5.67. Twenty-one walks in 46 innings. His last start, Wednesday against Detroit, told the story in miniature: 4 1/3 innings, 81 pitches, four hits, three runs, four walks, five strikeouts.
“There were a lot of good things,” he said afterward. “And there are some things… the walks. It’s frustrating. Nobody wants to walk guys. Nobody is trying to do it.”
He has seen these Padres before, and it went well
Skenes has faced San Diego once. April 7, one run over 6 1/3 innings, a 7-1 win. Manager Don Kelly has kept him around 85 pitches in each of his last two outings to protect his arm. Whether that leash gets longer Tuesday is an open question, because Monday’s marathon drained the bullpen.
The other side of the matchup is Michael King (8-9, 3.38), tasked with defending San Diego’s grip on the third wild card. The Padres trail Philadelphia by two and lead Arizona by two. Pittsburgh is seven and a half back.
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