Venue: Petco Park, San Diego, California
First pitch: 8:40 p.m. ET (5:40 p.m. PT)
TV: SDPA / Marlins regional feeds
This is the second game of a three-game series. The Padres won Friday 8-2 behind a six-run fifth inning capped by Ty France’s three-run homer, moving into a three-way tie with the Cubs and Phillies for the top NL wild-card spots. San Diego has won 11 of its last 12 games and owns a strong home record (47-29). The Marlins remain on the fringes of the NL East race but are playing for pride and evaluation.
Starting Pitchers
Eury Pérez (RHP, Marlins): 7-11, 3.99 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 155 K in 144.1 IP. High-upside arm with strong strikeout ability; has shown inconsistency but remains a key piece for Miami.
Casey Mize (RHP, Padres): 6-9, 3.69 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 107 K in 124.1 IP. Solid mid-rotation presence with better command and a lower ERA; benefits from Petco’s pitcher-friendly dimensions.
Mize holds a slight edge in rate stats and home-park advantage. Both are right-handers.
Current Weather Forecast
Mild and pleasant typical San Diego conditions. High near 75–77°F during the day, cooling into the mid-60s by evening. Partly cloudy becoming mostly sunny, with light west winds (5–10 mph). Precipitation chance near zero. Ideal baseball weather with no expected impact.
Injury Reports
Marlins: Pete Fairbanks (nerve/thoracic outlet, surgery expected), Max Meyer (neck), Anthony Bender, Owen Caissie (lumbar), and multiple pitchers on longer-term IL (Henriquez, Mazur, Nardi, Snelling, Kempner). Bullpen and rotation depth is stretched.
Padres: Miguel Andujar (wrist), Gavin Sheets (foot), Jason Adam (shoulder), Ramon Laureano, Luis Rengifo, and several starters/relievers on 60-day IL (Giolito, Musgrove, etc.). Core lineup (Tatis, Machado, Merrill) remains intact and productive.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups & Notes
Padres feature a dangerous middle of the order: Fernando Tatis Jr. (.285), Manny Machado (28 HR), Jackson Merrill (26 HR range, strong RBI), Xander Bogaerts, and contributors like Ty France (recent power surge). They exploded for six runs in one inning Friday.
Marlins rely on Otto Lopez (.306–.307 AVG), Xavier Edwards, Agustín Ramírez (homered Friday), Heriberto Hernández (power), and speed elements. Pérez will need to limit hard contact against San Diego’s contact-and-power mix.
Petco Park suppresses offense overall, favoring the stronger pitching staff and home team.
Recent Team Forms
Marlins: 4-6 in last 10. Split recent series and dropped the opener in San Diego. Road record is a clear weakness (31-45).
Padres: 9-1 in last 10 and riding a strong home streak. Surging at the perfect time for the wild-card race, with excellent recent run differential.
Series History
Padres lead the 2026 season series (at least 4-0 or dominant entering Saturday after Friday’s win). San Diego has handled Miami effectively this year. Historical matchups have often favored the Padres at home.
Betting Trends
Padres are heavy favorites on form, home record, and standings implications. Recent series results and Petco’s dimensions support moderate totals.
Game Odds
Miami Marlins 7.5
San Diego Padres – 155
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday, September 18, 2026
