San Diego is scrapping to hold the last playoff spot in the National League, and Pittsburgh — of all teams — showed up to the trade deadline looking like a buyer instead of a seller. The series opener at Petco Park is a real measuring stick for both.
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TUE AUG 25 · 6:40 PM PT
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Pirates
Padres
Neither club has announced a starter for the series opener yet, but the shape of both rotations says plenty about where each team stands right now. San Diego has been leaning on Michael King, Walker Buehler, Robbie Ray, Randy Vasquez and Casey Mize while working around a stack of pitching injuries, and Pittsburgh has been piecing things together ever since Mitch Keller went down for the year, with Bubba Chandler and Jared Jones soaking up bigger roles.
San Diego caught a break on the Xander Bogaerts scare — the shortstop left a recent game against the Mets, but manager Craig Stammen downplayed it afterward as cramping rather than a serious hamstring issue. The bigger concern is pitching depth: Joe Musgrove, Nick Pivetta, Lucas Giolito and Jason Adam are all still working their way back from injury, thinning a staff that's otherwise carried the Padres into playoff position. Pittsburgh has its own list to manage — Endy Rodriguez, Ryan O'Hearn and Konnor Griffin are all shelved — and the front office's decision to buy at the deadline instead of sell leaves less room for error.
Both teams have business to take care of first. San Diego opens a series against Minnesota — the two clubs currently holding down the final American and National League wild-card spots — while Pittsburgh heads to Los Angeles for three against a Dodgers team that just finished sweeping its last series. How those sets shake out will shape bullpen usage and roster health heading into Monday, August 24.
Pittsburgh Pirates
San Diego Padres
The Padres' turnaround has been one of the better stories in the league over the past month, climbing back into position after an extended slide. The Pirates' front office, meanwhile, raised eyebrows by adding reliever Luke Weaver at the deadline instead of stripping down a last-place roster. It hasn't fully steadied a bullpen that's still finding its footing, and Pittsburgh's playoff math remains a longshot at 63-66, but there's more juice to this roster than the standings alone suggest.
Pittsburgh Pirates
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
San Diego Padres
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
First pitch at Petco Park is set for 6:40 PM PT, with both clubs squeezing this one in between bigger tests — San Diego trying to hold its wild-card berth, Pittsburgh trying to prove the deadline additions weren't wasted on a team playing out the string.
