Feeling far behind; Padres lose and are swept in Vedder Cup

Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The first official Eddie Vedder series is one the San Diego Padres would desperately like to put in the rearview mirror.
Like all the games of the series, Sunday made Padre fans hurt. With a 6-1 win, Seattle swept the Friars out of Petco Park, giving the home squad their second sweep of the 2025 season.
The game certainly started positively for the Friars, as King pitched an excellent first few innings, and Tatis hit a home run in the first inning.
Nando has left the yard. pic.twitter.com/ZRcjBYeFcc
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 18, 2025
However, like all games in this series, the Padres failed to take advantage of opportunities on the bases or on defense.
Opportunities with runners in scoring positions in the first and second innings were wasted as Manny Machado and Elias Diaz failed to get runners home. After Xander Bogaerts’ one-out single in the 4th, the team would be held hitless for nearly the entire game. “This is one of those things where the game tests you,” Shildt said after the game.
In the 8th, the Padres threatened until Tatis grounded into a double play and Arraez failed to get Jose Iglesias in from third. Finally, in the 9th, the Padres received two walks but were unable to get anything either. The Padres left their fans waiting for any real offense for the third straight game.
The Mariners continued to do what made them successful throughout the Vedder Cup: timely hitting and excellent pitching. “Their starting pitching was really good,” Mike Shildt said after the game.
In the top of the fourth, the Mariners scored three of four runs on another Randy Arozarena home run, a Leody Taveras ground rule double, and a Miles Mastrobuoni single. Another single by Mitch Garver, misplayed by left fielder Gavin Sheets, added the fourth run. Finally, three straight walks by a wild Yuki Matsui lead to two additional runs in the top of the 9th.
Bryan Woo pitched seven incredibly efficient innings with five strikeouts, five hits, and one run before handing it to the bullpen, which shut down the Padres the rest of the way. Michael King pitched 5 1/3 innings with an impressive eight strikeouts but also four runs and six hits. “They popped him and put some swings together,” Shildt said about King.
On the positive note for the Padres’ bullpen, Wandy Peralta and Sean Reynolds turned in excellent efforts, shutting down the Mariners in the latter part of the game.
The Padres will seek better days starting on Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays.
A Native San Diegan, Loren has spent his entire life not only as a fan but an active participant in San Diego’s sports world. In 2006 Loren joined two other die hard Charger fans to create Bolttalk, where Loren was a co-host and regular columnist from 2006 until the Chargers left in 2017. After that he started another podcast, The Grid Podshow, from 2020-2021 with his former co-host and colleague, speaking about the local sports community and popular culture.
When he’s not giving his opinion about San Diego sports, Loren is an adjunct professor at San Diego State and an attorney.