May 17, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres Yu Darvish (11) watches play during the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images
San Diego, California – Another stellar outing from a Padres starter went to waste Saturday night as San Diego fell 4–1 to the Seattle Mariners, undone by missed opportunities and untimely strikeouts in critical moments. The loss drops the Padres to 3–3 on their current homestand and sets up a Sunday showdown to avoid a sweep in the first official Vedder Cup series of the season.
San Diego went a brutal 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, including several golden chances that could have changed the game. Twice, the Friars had a runner at third base with fewer than two outs — a situation where MLB teams are expected to score more often than not. Both times, the Padres came up empty.
In the second inning, Jake Cronenworth and Elias Díaz struck out with runners on second and third and one out. The fifth inning was even more painful: bases loaded, one out, and the heart of the order due up. But Manny Machado went down on three straight fastballs from Mariners starter Emerson Hancock, and Jackson Merrill was punched out by reliever Gabe Speier, who preserved the 1-1 tie.
The only Padres run came courtesy of Gavin Sheets, who hit a solo home run in the fourth — his sixth of the season. But that was the lone bright spot in an otherwise frustrating offensive night for San Diego.
The offensive ineptitude spoiled another quality outing by Nick Pivetta. The right-hander allowed just two hits and one run over six innings while striking out seven. He left with the game tied 1-1, but the tie was short-lived. Adrian Morejon entered to start the seventh and served up a first-pitch cutter right down the middle that Cal Raleigh crushed into the left field stands — his 15th homer of the year and first off Morejon all season.
Seattle didn’t stop there. In the ninth, the Mariners loaded the bases with one out, and Dylan Moore delivered a two-run single to left off Alek Jacob to put the game out of reach. Raleigh, who drew two walks on the night and now has 30 this season, tied Aaron Judge for the American League home run lead with his blast.
Meanwhile, the Padres’ inability to cash in continued to haunt them. They’ve now dropped three of five at Petco Park following a promising 6–3 road trip. Xander Bogaerts had three hits, including a two-out single in the eighth, but Andrés Muñoz came on to retire Gavin Sheets and recorded the final four outs for his league-leading 14th save.
Seattle has now won three of four against the Padres in each of the past three seasons and leads the all-time series 69–63.
The Friars will turn to Michael King on Sunday to stop the skid and salvage the finale. He’ll be opposed by Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. at Petco Park.
