Sep 12, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher JP Sears (38) stands on the mound after giving up a home run to Colorado Rockies second baseman Kyle Farmer (6) during the first inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
San Diego, California – The Padres had a golden opportunity to inch closer in the NL West race Friday night, but once again their offense sputtered. A three-run blast from Colorado rookie Blaine Crim and a solo shot on the very next pitch from Kyle Farmer proved too much as the Rockies beat San Diego, 4–2, at Petco Park.
For the Padres, the timing made the loss sting more. Just up the coast, the Giants stunned the Dodgers with a 10th-inning grand slam. A win would have brought San Diego within 1.5 games of Los Angeles. Instead, the Friars remain 2.5 games back, clinging to a wild card cushion but still waiting for their offense to wake up.
Things actually started on a promising note. Manny Machado, who had been stuck in a 2-for-30 skid, crushed a 415-foot homer off Tanner Gordon in the first inning that landed in the Western Metal Supply building. Machado finished the night with two hits and reached base three times, easily his sharpest performance in a while. Unfortunately, he didn’t get much help. The rest of the lineup combined for just three hits, struck out 12 times—including four by Fernando Tatis Jr.—and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. It marked the fourth straight game the Padres finished with exactly two runs.
Starter J.P. Sears looked dominant early, striking out seven of the first 10 batters he faced. But the fourth inning flipped the game on its head. After back-to-back singles, Crim—just recalled from Triple-A earlier in the day—belted a three-run shot into the second deck in left for his first big league homer. On Sears’ very next pitch, Farmer went deep into the bullpen. Just like that, a game that felt in control got away, and with the Padres’ bats silent, the deficit held.
One silver lining came from Ron Marinaccio. The reliever tossed a career-high three scoreless innings, giving the back end of San Diego’s bullpen a much-needed night off. With 17 games left, those innings matter.
Still, this was a missed chance. The Rockies own the worst record in baseball and had been blanked in each of their first four games at Petco this year before finally breaking through. For a Padres team fighting not just to hold its playoff spot but to chase down the Dodgers, dropping one to a 100-loss club is tough to stomach.
The division remains within reach, but at this stage, “any time now” has to turn into “right now.”
