Gritty Padres bounce back with 4-2 road trip

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 01: Miguel Andujar #41 of the San Diego Padres looks on before the game against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park on April 01, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images The San Diego Padres did not start the season well at home in their first six games versus the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants, facing excellent starting pitching and showing an anemic offense, the Friars went 2-4 at home. The road trip to Boston to face the Red Sox for their home opener also featured a struggling Padres offense with four hits against Boston starter Sonny Gray.

But then the tide turned and the Padres took the last two against the Red Sox in cold and rainy weather. They moved on to Pittsburgh, playing a Pirates team that had won five straight. Taking two of three from Pittsburgh, the Padres showed their grit and perseverance while again playing in cold weather.

With the Padres starters are having some uneven performances and the bullpen is showing some stumbles to start the year, the offense was finally able to put up some runs with timely hitting and a standout pitching performance from Germán Márquez. Nick Pivetta and Michael King show that they are working to stabilize their early season command issues while Randy Vasquez has put up a 0. 75 ERA through two starts and 12 innings pitched.

Walker Buehler remains the only starter not to show improvement, he has a 9. 45 ERA over his 6. 2 innings pitched in two starts.