Padres’ late-inning magic runs out as Reds walk-off series
Credit: Cincinnati Enquirer
San Diego’s recent winning formula fell just short in their series finale, as the team’s seventh-inning rally proved to be not enough.
The San Diego Padres received a quality outing from Stephen Kolek, who made his eleventh start of the season. Kolek recorded five strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work. A notable development for Kolek this season has been his performance against right-handed batters, who hit .327 against him last season. Right-handed batters went 2-for-12 with a walk against Kolek on Sunday, and on the season, he has held right-handers to a paltry .210 batting average. The Padres’ starter also succeeded in getting ahead in the count, as he threw first-pitch strikes to 13 of 20 batters faced.
Stephen Kolek, Wicked 84mph Sweeper. ? pic.twitter.com/98orrjFnCg
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 29, 2025
The Padres had a tough task ahead of them facing Reds southpaw Nick Lodolo, who has posted one of the league’s best chase rates this season. San Diego had base traffic in every inning against the left-hander, tallying seven hits against the former TCU hurler. Jackson Merrill was hit by an inside fastball from Lodolo, taking it to the hand, but he remained in the ballgame. Gavin Sheets continued to hit Reds left-handers, as he finished 2-for-3 against Lodolo. It marked the second consecutive game in which Sheets had multiple hits against a left-handed starter after his two-double day against Andrew Abbott.
Xander Bogaerts has been battling a sore left shoulder since the end of the Nationals series, but it did not appear to be a concern in the fourth inning. Bogaerts turned on a low-and-outside slider from Lodolo that caught too much plate and pulled it to left field at 99.8 mph for his fifth home run of the season. Bogaerts has been on a power surge in June, as seven of his 32 hits this month have gone for extra bases. The homer was actually Bogaerts’ first since June 19.
Boom. pic.twitter.com/BkQAfuL5Ef
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) June 29, 2025
After two batters reached base against Kolek in the sixth with two outs, manager Mike Shildt pulled his starter from the game and handed the ball to Adrian Morejon. Morejon was in the midst of a simply dominant stretch, as he had not allowed an earned run in his last 17 appearances. Facing Elly De La Cruz hitting right-handed, Morejon got the Reds’ shortstop to ground a ball to third, as would have been ideal. However, the ball bounced past a diving Jose Iglesias to tie the game at one.
Elly comes through‼️@ellylacocoa18 pic.twitter.com/bfemRHR3RK
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 29, 2025
Facing Lyon Richardson for the second consecutive day, the Padres loaded the bases with one out, and Jose Iglesias stepped up to the plate facing Reds right-hander Tony Santillan. Iglesias has struggled against high velocity this season, but he came through, chopping a grounder to second base. While the Reds got the out at second, Iglesias beat the throw to first to allow the Padres’ second run to score. While on the surface the run scoring was positive, the way the run scores was emblematic of the Padres’ biggest issue in the game; the team was 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position, stranding 13 runners and leaving the bases loaded once in the game.
The Padres’ bullpen bridged the way to the ninth inning seamlessly, as Jeremiah Estrada tossed a scoreless seventh with two strikeouts, exhibiting significantly better command of his arsenal than he had in some of his outings the last few weeks. Jason Adam, working his league-leading 42nd appearance, allowed a base hit in the eighth, but stranded the tying run on third.
Jason Adam now has the 2nd best ERA (1.69) in all of Major League Baseball (min. 40 IP) pic.twitter.com/XbgxtriVgR
— Al Scott (@AlScott1998) June 29, 2025
The Padres had an opportunity to score an insurance run against former Padre Emilio Pagan, but Fernando Tatis Jr was stranded when Tyler Wade, pinch-hitting for a 3-for-4 Bogaerts, grounded out. Gavin Sheets grounded out to end the inning.
With defensive changes in tow, Robert Suarez entered the game in the ninth inning, one day removed from throwing 22 pitches. Suarez’s command was not its sharpest, and a 10-pitch at-bat against De La Cruz yielded a knuckling single to third, where Tyler Wade was unable to squeeze the ball. Suarez got a flyout from Austin Hays, but that would be the last out he recorded. Gavin Lux drew a walk on four wildly misplaced Suarez fastballs, and Spencer Steer lined a middle-middle fastball to center field to tie the game, as De La Cruz just beat the throw from Merrill to Elias Diaz. Jose Trevino reached on another single, and Will Benson walked off the game on a single just fair down the right field line, earning the Reds a 3-2 win.
SPENCE TIES IT pic.twitter.com/3hLv2N6Udf
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 29, 2025
HELLO RALLY REDS HELLO WILL BENSON#ATOBTTR pic.twitter.com/oH2mmVkJyn
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 29, 2025
The blown save was Suarez’s third of the season, and the Padres’ closer has not been the same in his last seven games, as he has an 18.69 ERA since June 14 (5 ER vs AZ).
Injury Updates:
- Xander Bogaerts was pinch-hit for in the ninth due to a severe cramp in his calf, per manager Mike Shildt postgame. It is not yet known whether he will be available in Philadelphia on Monday.
- Starter Yu Darvish is scheduled to throw another simulated game this upcoming week. Darvish threw 31 pitches in the bullpen on Saturday after a 51-pitch simulated game on June 25 in Lake Elsinore. It is not yet known whether the team plans for him to throw on a rehab assignment after the next simulated game.
The Padres open a three-game series in Philadelphia. Zack Wheeler starts for the Phillies, while the Padres have announced that Matt Waldron will be recalled to start.
A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.
A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.