Padres midseason report: Playoff chase underway despite frustrating start

Driving the news: Third baseman Manny Machado is starting for the NL, and outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. will be a reserve.

• Three Padres relief pitchers — Jason Adam, Robert Suarez and Adrian Morejon — could take the hill for an NL team looking for just its second win in the last 12 years.
• The 2025 Padres are the first team in league history to send three relievers to the game.

State of play: The Padres are 52-44 at the break, giving them a half-game lead over the San Francisco Giants for the last NL wild card spot.

• A year ago, they were 50-49, then went on a 19-4 run that vaulted them into the thick of the NL playoff race.

Zoom in: Center fielder Jackson Merrill was an All Star in his rookie season a year ago, but he's been struggling at the plate this year, including a brutal slump heading into the break.

• Opening Day starter Michael King was among the NL leaders in earned run average to begin the year, before a May shoulder injury sidelined him. He's expected to return next month.
• Fellow starter Yu Darvish returned from an elbow injury to make his season debut just before the All-Star break.

Between the lines: General manager A.J. Preller has historically been aggressive at the trade deadline, which this year is on July 31.

• Multiple reports again expect Preller to be active at the deadline looking for offensive upgrades, including Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran.
• Preller could see the return of Darvish and the expected return of King as the team's pitching improvements.

The bottom line: The Padres are actually ahead of where they were at the midseason break last year, and have the league's third highest attendance figure, with an average of 42,318 fans per game.

• Yet, 2025 feels disappointing so far — a testament to how much the franchise reset expectations in the Machado and Tatis Jr. era.