Padres celebrate sweep, turn focus to Dodgers
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Buster Olney, ESPN Senior Writer
SAN DIEGO — The latest stop of the San Diego Padres‘ redemption tour led them into a layer of champagne and beer Wednesday night, after they dispatched the Atlanta Braves with a 5-4 win to complete a two-game sweep in their NL Wild Card Series.
The floor of the Padres’ clubhouse was covered in a sheen of alcohol, and underneath a thump of salsa music, Luis Arraez stood amid a circle of teammates and danced. When he was finished, Fernando Tatis Jr. stepped in and took a turn, and they kept it going like this for a while.
A year ago, the Padres were regarded as the most disappointing team in baseball, a working model of clubhouse dysfunction. Now, after a makeover of culture and personnel, they will face the Dodgers, baseball’s No. 1 seed in this postseason. That best-of-five series will start in Los Angeles, and between the massive Dodger Stadium crowds and the parties that the Padres engender at Petco Park, it could draw a quarter-million fans in person and many millions in the broadcasts.
Right after the the San Diego players sprawled on the mound here for a team picture, third baseman Manny Machado said, “This is what everybody wanted.”
Maybe not everybody. It’s hard to imagine that anyone would openly wish for a series against the Padres, who have played better than just about any team since the All-Star break: 45 wins and 19 losses, including the two games against the Braves, a 113-win pace since the middle of July. Their lineup is deep, their rotation is deep and talented — although there is concern about Joe Musgrove, who had to depart the game Wednesday with elbow trouble — and their bullpen is as good as any, following the in-season additions of Tanner Scott, Jason Adam and others.
The Padres ambushed the Braves’ Max Fried, who was making what might turn out to be his last appearance in an Atlanta uniform. Tatis Jr. smashed a 99.8 mph line drive back to the mound, with the ball smashing into Fried’s backside and ricocheting away. Fried grimaced, and after a visit from manager Brian Snitker and an athletic trainer, he decided to continue. He then struck out Machado to help him pitch out of a bases-loaded jam.
But in the aftermath of Tatis’ line drive, Fried would tell reporters later his bruised buttocks tightened, and in the second inning, Fried’s command vanished. With two outs, Kyle Higashioka hit a solo homer, his second in two days, and after three consecutive singles, the bases were loaded for Machado again.
As Machado watched this rally build, he kept telling teammates in the dugout to give him another chance, to get him another opportunity — and when Fried left a slider over the plate, Machado blistered it into the left field corner for two runs. Merrill followed with a two-run triple, and it was 5-1 San Diego.
“That’s a band of brothers right there,” Merrill said. “First inning, we get bases loaded, no outs and we don’t score. But we don’t look back, we move forward. Six straight two-out hits! I don’t think that happens very often. That’s what you call a band of brothers, just working together trying to pack on the runs.”
Said Higashioka: “This team’s always shown the ability to be resilient and never quit. That’s a credit to all the guys. Just putting together good at-bats no matter what.”
For the Braves, who have been hammered all year by injuries and have been without Ronald Acuna Jr. for most of the season and without Austin Riley in recent weeks, this was a mountainous deficit. Fried was finished, and this game mirrored the Braves’ season in how it was defined by injury.
The Braves plated a few more runs, but lacking lineup firepower — after leading the majors in runs last year, they finished 15th this season — they would fall short. D’Arnaud popped out to end the game, and the Padres rushed to the middle of the field.
Later, before the San Diego players flooded their clubhouse with champagne, Shildt and others spoke loudly about how this was just the first step, that they needed 11 more wins in this postseason.
Just before that, Machado had talked during and after the game about how this is a team that fights and pushes, which was not something that was said about the 2023 Padres, a star-laden club that just fell flat. Manager Bob Melvin left the Padres right after the regular season, jumping to the Giants. Juan Soto was traded to the New York Yankees in return for a clan of pitching and Higashioka. Shildt, who had been fired by the St. Louis Cardinals after the 2021 season and was uncertain about whether he would get another chance, was hired — and shortly thereafter, a conversation began between the new manager, staffers and players about how to make the work experience better for all of them.
As infielder Jake Cronenworth described it, the players wanted to get back to caring about each game, each bit of result and, perhaps most important, to get back to having fun. Shildt wanted the players to enjoy coming to work each day, and some adjustments were made with the schedule.
“I’m pleased with the way our guys are going about this postseason,” Shildt said after Wednesday’s game. “You’re just playing baseball, man. They’re not making it any bigger than it is. They’re just going out and playing and balling out.”
Along the way, Merrill emerged as the center fielder, at age 20. “A superstar,” said Cronenworth. “A freak.” General manager A.J. Preller, long known for his aggressiveness, landed Dylan Cease from the White Sox in a spring training trade, and made the first big deal of the regular season, swapping for batting champion Arraez, who reinforced the team’s newfound dedication to making more contact and striking out less in their spacious park. Coach Victor Rodriguez termed it Petco Park hitting.
And at the deadline, Preller made more deals to stack the Padres’ bullpen. On Wednesday morning, a rival executive talked about filing a vote for Preller as executive of the year.
The pool of champagne and beer had already started to grow by the time Preller walked into the room. Shildt saw him, pulled his boss into a bear hug with his right hand and emptied a bottle over Preller’s head with his left hand, laughing.
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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