Mariners Arrive to Defend Vedder Cup Against Padres

The Seattle Mariners open a three-game series in San Diego starting Tuesday evening. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, and 5:40 p.m. Thursday. All three games will air on Padres.TV.

The Mariners arrive in San Diego hoping to defend their Vedder Cup claim against the Padres. Seattle enters 8-9 and sits tied for third in the AL West. The club is 1½ games behind the Texas Rangers.

Standings and recent form

Seattle completed a four-game sweep of the Houston Astros in its last outing. Last season the Mariners won five of six regular-season meetings with San Diego. That stretch helped Seattle win the AL West and reach the AL Championship Series.

San Diego is 6-6 and tied for second in the NL West. The Padres have won five straight games after sweeping Colorado. Their plus-14 run differential ranks seventh in Major League Baseball.

Player trends and outfield keys

On offense, Seattle first baseman Josh Naylor has two homers in his last five games. He is 3-for-19 over that stretch. Cal Raleigh shares a team-high five RBIs in the past week and is 4-for-24 in his last six games.

Luke Raley has heated up recently, going 9-for-22 with four RBIs over seven days. Julio Rodríguez is 8-for-22 in that same span. Left-hander Jose A. Ferrer leads Seattle with eight appearances and a 2.57 ERA.

For the Padres, Fernando Tatis Jr. is 8-for-25 in his last six games and still seeking his first home run of the season. Xander Bogaerts, Ramón Laureano and Gavin Sheets have each hit two homers over their last six contests. Catcher Freddy Fermin is 1-for-10 in that same window and is hitting .161/.270/.226 on the year.

Bullpen notes

Seattle reliever Andrés Muñoz has a 3.00 ERA and leads the Mariners relievers with nine strikeouts. Matt Brash has two holds and a 0.00 ERA so far.

San Diego closer Mason Miller is 4-for-4 in save chances with a 0.00 ERA. He has 19 strikeouts while allowing one walk and one hit in 7 1/3 innings. Jeremia Estrada and Kyle Hart have multiple holds for the Padres.

Starting pitching matchups

Tuesday

• Mariners: RHP Bryan Woo (0-1, 1.50 ERA). Woo has 17 strikeouts and four walks in 18 innings. He has won all three of his career starts against San Diego and owns a 2.33 ERA in those outings.
• Padres: RHP Michael King (1-1, 3.24 ERA). King is coming off a six-inning, two-run quality start. He has 15 strikeouts and eight walks in 16 2/3 innings this season.

Wednesday

• Mariners: RHP Emerson Hancock (2-1, 2.04 ERA). Hancock has 19 strikeouts and three walks across 17 2/3 innings. Two of his three starts qualify as quality starts.
• Padres: RHP Randy Vásquez (1-0, 1.02 ERA). Vásquez has 19 strikeouts and four walks in 17 2/3 innings. This will be his first appearance against Seattle.

Thursday

• Mariners: RHP Luis Castillo (0-0, 6.92 ERA). He allowed 10 earned runs over seven innings across his last two starts. Castillo has a 3.71 ERA in nine career starts versus San Diego.
• Padres: RHP Walker Buehler (0-1, 4.97 ERA). Buehler pitched six scoreless innings in his last outing, using 68 pitches. His career line against Seattle includes a 7.08 ERA in four starts.

Stat leaders (2025)

Injury updates

Seattle expects right-hander Bryce Miller (oblique) could return by month-end. Victor Robles (pectoral) and Miles Mastrobuoni (calf) have no clear timetables. Carlos Vargas (lat) will not return before May.

Seattle’s Logan Evans remains out for the season following Tommy John surgery. San Diego listed Nick Pivetta day-to-day with elbow stiffness after exiting his Sunday start. Jeremiah Estrada is on the injured list with elbow tendinitis.

Padres relievers Matt Waldron, Griffin Canning and Sung-Mun Song are rehabbing at Triple-A El Paso. Joe Musgrove is still recovering from Tommy John surgery and has not resumed bullpen throws.

Filmogaz.com will monitor developments through the series. Expect closer looks at lineups and bullpen usage as the weekend approaches.