The Opener: Padres, Kelly, Reds

In a very disappointing year for the Seattle offense, the Mariners delivered the biggest margin of victory in franchise history with Saturday’s 19-1 squash of the Athletics. Weston Wilson went 5-for-6 and was one of five Mariners with at least three hits in the game. Michael Arroyo was part of that group in going 3-for-4 for the first three hits of his MLB career, plus his first big league home run. 1. Padres make it six The Padres had to withstand a late charge from the Giants, but Mason Miller threw a perfect ninth inning to earn his 36th save in San Diego’s 7-6 victory on Saturday. It was the Padres’ sixth consecutive win, and this hot streak couldn’t have come at a better time for a team in the wild card hunt. Not only did San Diego extend its lead over the Diamondbacks to 1.5 games in the chase for the last NL wild card berth, but the Padres have moved 1.5 games behind the Cubs for the second wild card slot, and 2.5 games behind the Phillies for the top wild card spot (and homefield advantage in the Wild Card Series). 2. Baker joins the 40-save club Rays closer Bryan Baker is the Major League leader in saves, and he became the seventh pitcher in Rays history to record 40 saves in a season after recording the final four outs of Saturday’s 3-2 win over the Astros. Acquired from the Orioles in July 2025, Baker emerged this season as Tampa’s top late-game choice while delivering a 1.54 ERA, 27.1% strikeout rate, and 9.2% walk rate over 58 1/3 innings. A .200 BABIP, 87% strand rate, and 3.36 SIERA indicate that Baker is benefiting from some good fortune, but the righty has also been making his own luck with an elite 36.4% chase rate, and a 96.4mph fastball that has been one of the most effective pitches in the sport. 3. Reds rocked by opposing hitters A tough stretch of the schedule has seen Cincinnati play nothing but playoff teams for the last two weeks, and the toll is starting to catch up to the pitching staff. The Reds are on a five-game losing streak, and have been outscored by a whopping 47-10 in their last three games. As per MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon, this is the first time since at least 1900 that the Reds have had three straight games with at least 13 runs allowed. After being swept by the Dodgers and dropping the first two games of a three-game set with the Brewers, things won’t get any easier for the Reds. Monday kicks off a four-game series with the Dodgers again, followed by three-game sets with the powerful Cubs and the NL East-leading Braves. View Comments (2)