MIAMI - The San Diego Padres two-run ninth inning came up just short of a comeback against the Miami Marlins, losing on Tuesday 4-3 at LoanDepot Park.
Pitching is the name of the game and it's an aspect that the Padres are all too familiar with, as that's been their backbone in 2025. And for a second day in a order, the Padres had to face a team with a similar hand.
Besides Jackson Merrill's two-run double late in the ninth inning to make it a one-run deficit, the Padres couldn't conjure up an answer against the Marlins' pitching arsenal that recorded nine strikeouts and gave up seven hits.
Going 1-for-7 with RISP and leaving six on base on Monday, they left another six runners stranded but went 3-for-11 with RISP. The Marlins finished 1-for-6 but managed to score all four of their runs with two-outs.
Picking up only one hit after Merrill scored the winning run in Monday's series opener, the Padres went against starting right-handed pitcher Edward Cabrera (4-4, 3.48 ERA), who is another quality arm to the Marlins' rotation.
Stephen Kolek (3-5, 4.28 ERA) began his 13th start by grounding out and striking out his pair of batters but failed on third, allowing a single to Otto Lopez. Catcher Agustín Ramírez reached base on a soft ground ball to Manny Machado, who failed to complete the throw to Jake Cronenworth that allowed Lopez to circle around the bases to give Miami a 1-0 lead.
Four pitches later, Kyle Stowers hit his 15th double to right-field to score Ramírez.
Cabrera started the second inning hitting Gavin Sheets by a pitch and putting down Xander Bogaerts and Merrill in six pitches. Cronenworth gave the Padres a hope for a two-out rally after his single to center-field that put him and Sheets on the corners, but the RISP chance flamed out after Jose Iglesias struck out for 40th time this season.
After a visit from pitching coach Ruben Niebla during the first inning, Kolek avoided an opportunity for the Marlins to add to their lead again after ending the inning on a 6-3 double-play.
Padres catcher Martín Maldonado put himself into scoring position following his third inning lead-off double, and later advanced to third base after a wild pitch. Being named as the designated hitter, Luis Arraez connected on a 98 mph four-seam fastball in tight and out of the zone for an RBI single to cut the deficit.
Maldonado has now doubled in three consecutive games and is the second time he's done so in his career, the only other time being in June 2019 when he played for the Royals.
Kolek pushed through the next three innings on 33 pitches, dispatching eight of the next nine batters he's faced with three strikeouts and recorded the Padres' second double-play of the evening.
The Padres put runners on the corners again with one-out during the top of the sixth inning after Arraez hit a lead-off double and Sheets reached aboard first base. However, Arraez would get squeezed out at home plate after Bogaerts grounded into a fielder’s choice and Merrill grounded out on a low sweeper.
Edward Cabrera barehanded PFP! pic.twitter.com/ieNnzwwVio
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 23, 2025
Before the hit by Arraez, the last time the Padres picked up a hit was during the third inning when Arraez picked up the Padres first run.
Setting down 10 consecutive batters, Kolek couldn't put himself out of harm's way following a two-out double by Ramírez, which set up Stowers to be intentionally walked. Left-fielder Heriberto Hernandez added on to the Marlins lead with his RBI single to make it 3-1, and two pitches later, first baseman Eric Wagaman got hit by a pitch, which ended the day for Kolek on the mound.
Replaced by Wandy Peralta to record the final out, Kolek went 5 ⅔ innings, allowed three earned runs, eight hits, five strikeouts and walked one on 80 pitches (55 pitches called a strike).
Cabrera would also toss 5 ⅔ innings before being replaced by reliever Cade Gibson. The Marlins' starter struck out six Padres and allowed an earned run on five hits with no walks.
"(Edward) Cabrera threw the ball well," Padres manager Mike Shildt said. "... Kolek pretty much matched him. They were able to open it up a little bit. And there in the ninth, we were able to put some really good at-bats together. We just couldn't get that tying run or go-ahead run home."
Peralta sat down two of three during the bottom of the seventh inning before being replaced by David Morgan. Morgan walked the first batter he faced to put two runners on base, but struck out Ramírez swinging to end the frame.
The Marlins would tack on their last run during the bottom of the eighth inning with two-outs following an RBI triple by Javier Sanoja on Morgan, which proved to be the difference.
"He gave up a run for the first time in maybe three weeks," Shildt said. "I'm not sure what to say beyond that."
The Padres last efforts to tie the game came during the ninth inning after they managed to get the first pair of batters on base and scored them by Merrill's two-run double to right-field. They would leave Merrill at second base after Cronenworth flied out, Iglesias struck out for a third time and Trenton Brooks, pinch hitting for Maldonado, popped out to the infield.
Standing with a 55-46 record, the Padres are now three games behind the Dodgers for first place in the NL West, and still have some cushion for the last NL Wild Card spot, in front of the Cardinals by three games.
The rubber match of the three game series will be on Wednesday with a 9:10 a.m. first pitch time. Making his 21st start, right-hander Dylan Cease (3-9, 4.64) will take the mound for the Padres, while the Marlins will trot out righty Sandy Alcantara (4-9, 7.14 ERA).
Enduring an underwhelming season, Cease had a more encouraging performance in his last start against the Nationals in Washington D.C., notching 10 strikeout, four hits through a scoreless 5 ⅓ innings.
Alcantara pitched in six innings in his previous start against the Royals, where he allowed four earned runs on eight hits with a pair of strikeouts and walks.