Padres fall 4-9 to Rays in St. Petersburg

A Steady Start for Tampa Bay

The San Diego Padres fell short against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, August 28, 2026, at Tropicana Field. The home team secured a 9-4 victory, improving their record to 80-54. Meanwhile, the visiting Padres saw their record slip to 72-63. The contest featured three home runs and a strong bullpen performance from Tampa Bay.

Rays Surge in the Middle Innings

Tampa Bay took an early lead in the third inning when José Díaz homered to right field for 371 feet. The offense exploded in the fourth, scoring five runs on a combination of hits and a wild pitch by Casey Mize. J.T.

Realmuto and other batters capitalized on base-running opportunities. In the fifth inning, the Rays added another run on a sacrifice fly. By the end of the fifth, Tampa Bay held a 6-2 lead, setting the stage for a comfortable remainder of the game.

Padres Strike Back, But It Is Not Enough

San Diego managed to score two runs in the fifth inning, narrowing the gap briefly. However, the Rays extended their lead in the sixth inning with a two-run homer by Merrill. The Padres added another run in the sixth, but Tampa Bay responded with a single that drove in Walls.

In the seventh inning, Mullins hit a 360-foot home run to right field, capping the Rays' offensive outburst. The final score was 9-4.

Pitching Performance

Shane McClanahan earned the win for Tampa Bay, pitching 5.2 innings while allowing three hits and three earned runs. He struck out four batters and walked two. Manuel Rodriguez, Kevin Kelly, and Steven Matz combined for the final four innings, with Matz retiring the last two batters without allowing a hit.

For San Diego, Casey Mize took the loss, pitching five innings and allowing six hits and two earned runs. David Morgan, Wandy Peralta, and Griffin Canning pitched the remainder of the game. Canning recorded three strikeouts in 1.1 innings.

The game was played before an attendance of 16,470.

Sources

https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401816708