LoanDepot Park – Miami

The San Diego Padres return to LoanDepot Park for game two of three against the Miami Marlins to try to secure a series win.

Friday night’s win belongs largely to Luis Rengifo’s pinch-hit go-ahead homer. He consequently finds himself in today’s starting lineup.

In addition, the Padres announced Saturday morning on X that Randy Vazquez would start the game in place of the originally scheduled JP Sears.

RHP Randy Vásquez will start today’s game vs. the Miami Marlins.

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 25, 2026

Vazquez saw a few innings of relief since his return from a brief IL stint when the Padres went to Dodger Stadium. Nothing new for him, but a solid indication of where the Padres are pitching-wise. In other words, they’re still figuring it out.

Vazquez, through his first inning, seemed to echo this sentiment. He allowed two men on, but a double play saved the inning from going any further.

The Padres wouldn’t score until the fourth inning. This came after a series of two-out hits from Jackson Merrill, Manny Machado, and Ty France.

Ty France 2-RUN single!

Padres lead 2-0!

Padres @ Marlins#MLB #ForTheFaithful pic.twitter.com/Pbncec2nxz

— San Diego Strong (@PadresStrong) July 25, 2026

The inning ended with France caught at second. However, getting to a pitcher like Eury Perez early was necessary for a Padres series win against the Marlins.

The Marlins would strike back immediately, sending Randy Vazquez packing for the day.

For Vazquez, Sears was taking over. As stated previously, he was the originally scheduled starter for Saturday’s ballgame.

From then on, the game was held to a standstill at 2-1 Padres up until the seventh. A sac fly from Gavin Sheets gave Merrill just enough time to score, extending the lead.

By far the most interesting development has been the Padres’ pitching combos somewhat working out for the team.

The combined efforts of Vazquez and JP Sears gave the Padres six innings of one-run ball. Even Matt Waldron, another starter, came out to eat an inning. While this isn’t a perfectly efficient strategy, it worked out better than the Marlins starter did. Perez, in his last seven starts, had been on something of a hot streak as well. The Padres breaking it certainly spells wonders for the Jaded team.

The Padres continued to pile runs on in the eighth. Thanks to a series of walks and blasts by Jake Cronenworth, France, Rengifo, and Jase Bowen.

Ty France loops a single to center field, bringing in Jake Cronenworth and extending the Padres’ lead 4-1 in the top of the 8th inning!

Padres @ Marlins#MLB #ForTheFaithful pic.twitter.com/65JiuEJQHJ

— San Diego Strong (@PadresStrong) July 25, 2026

This late-game rally brought the Padres to a 6-1 lead. This meant the Padres would not have to call upon the reaper for a second day in a row, unless they managed to battle back.

The aforementioned Waldron certainly brought the game closer for the Marlins, allowing a runner to score. However, the Padres showed some grit, keeping the score 6-2.

The Padres regained the lead the following inning on a single from Cronenworth, extending the lead to 7-2.

Jake Cronenworth singles on a ground ball to right fielder Esteury Ruiz. Fernando Tatis Jr. scores!

Padres @ Marlins#MLB #ForTheFaithful pic.twitter.com/whnSt9pK2e

— San Diego Strong (@PadresStrong) July 25, 2026

With Waldron to close out the game, the Padres took the series against the Marlins. This is their first series win since the All-Star break and their first time winning two consecutive games in almost two weeks.

For the series finale, probable starters are Walker Buehler (6-5, 5.23 ERA) for the Padres and Janson Junk (4-6, 5.09 ERA) for the Marlins.

Fabian Garcia