San Diego snapped a four-game slide behind Nick Pivetta’s six innings of stingy work, a 5-1 win at Petco Park that showcased the Padres’ balanced attack and late-inning bullpen work. A leadoff homer by Jung Hoo Lee gave the Giants a quick early edge, but Pivetta quieted the opposing lineup and piled up 10 strikeouts, allowing just three hits and two walks. San Diego answered in the first, knotting the game on an RBI-groundout from Manny Machado after Fernando Tatis Jr. reached on an error. The Padres pulled away in the fourth as Iglesias delivered a go-ahead single, then Machado’ double set the stage for O’Hearn’s RBI knock and a subsequent scoring sequence that extended the lead to 4-1. Arraez contributed, and Diaz and Tatis Jr. added key moments to seal the 5-1 win.

Machado and O’Hearn paced the offense with two hits apiece, scoring a run and driving in a run apiece. The lineup depth was on display as multiple Padres recorded hits, with the bullpen of Morejon, Adam and Suarez closing it out by surrendering only a single hit while striking out two. For fantasy gamers, the performance solidifies Machado as a steady fantasy asset and elevates O’Hearn to everyday-at-bat status, while Pivetta’s high strikeout upside makes him a viable streaming option in favorable matchups. The Padres now look ahead to a rematch with the Giants in the next game, aiming to keep the momentum rolling.

Padres swept by Dodgers in a three-game weekend set at Dodger Stadium, two games decided by a single run and the middle contest a 6-0 Dodgers win. San Diego now shifts three games to Petco Park with a chance for redemption and to regain ground in the NL West, where they sit one game back of Los Angeles.

Fernando Tatís Jr. delivered a 3-for-11 line with two walks in the series, yet acknowledged the Padres didn’t play their best, citing untimely hits, costly baserunning decisions and too many strikeouts. Despite the skid, Tatís Jr. remains adamant: they’ll face the Dodgers again, there’s plenty of baseball left, and this roster can m—anything.

The Padres have dropped four in a row since opening against the Giants, heading into a three-game home stand with the division rival. The mood is a mix of frustration over execution and belief in the talent to flip the script soon, especially with the coming head-to-head stretch against a familiar foe.

Tuesday’s 10-game main slate features a pitcher pool with no obvious mega-elite options, pushing fantasy rosters toward high-ceiling visions and safer floor plays. Brandon Woodruff at 10,500 stands as the day’s top anchor, especially with a Cubs lineup that’s been quiet of late and Woodruff’s elite strikeout upside. In good value-land, Hunter Greene (9,000) and Joe Ryan (9,800) are standout mid-to-high ceiling plays, thanks to strikeout potential and favorable matchups. Merrill Kelly (8,500) and Tanner Bibee (8,200) bring steady floors, while Bryce Elder (6,000) offers a discount with recent productive innings and a White Sox test ahead. On the hitter side, the Dodgers in Coors Field pop as a natural stack, but pricing makes it tough to jam the full crew. Teoscar Hernandez (5,400) stands out against lefty Austin Gomber due to a strong ISO vs southpaws. The day also highlights value bats like David Fry (2,900) and Eduardo Rodriguez as exposure plays, plus a Padres-Giants stacking angle featuring Fernando Tatis and Manny Machado, and a Ranger-Royals crossfire built around Seager and Langford with Seth Lugo on the bump.

Streaks and matchups color the narrative: Kyle Hendricks has outperformed expectations but lets contact through, Noelvi Marte represents Reds youth on display, and a Padres-Giants focus centers on Kai-Wei Teng’s three starts and his upcoming test. The Rangers bring upside in Langford and Seager against Lugo, while the Twins’ late-season piqued offense faces a disciplined Lopez. The article threads a cautious but aggressive line: build around Woodruff or Greene in cash, mix in Bibee/Elder for salary relief, and Leverage high-upside stacks in Coors-heavy Dodgers and Padres lineups, all while respecting ownership and the evolving weather and park factors.

Tuesday’s nine-game FanDuel MLB slate centers on a pitching-heavy approach with a recognizable pay-up tier and a solid pool of under-$8K arms. Only two games carry run lines above 9, underscoring a slate where managers might chase ceilings on a handful of arms rather than flood offenses. Dodgers sit as the slate’s largest favorite, but that doesn’t automatically tilt the pitching needle, while Coors-field in Colorado nudges Dodgers-Rockies as a clear offensive focus. Weather isn’t trivial: Tampa Bay rain risk looms, but Denver’s winds look favorable while Chicago could bite with a swing dynamic that can flip late.

Milwaukee and San Diego have surged as the two hottest NL clubs, rewriting postseason math with strong pitching, elite defense, and a willingness to lean into power in a power-driven era. The Brewers and Padres aren’t built on home runs, but they’re converting balls in play into outs at a top-tier rate and riding deep bullpens and wipeout front-line arms toward October.

Power matters more than last decade’s small-ball bias in the current postseason math. The Brewers have quietly added Andrew Vaughn and Brice Turang to lengthen their lineup and boost slug, while San Diego’s late-season upgrades Ramon Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn bolster the middle of the order and provide plate discipline upfront. The Padres also rely on trio Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Gavin Sheets to supply the bulk of their power, while Jackson Merrill’s resurgence hints at upside on the mound.

This matchup isn’t about fluff; it’s about a shift in how teams win in October. The data show home runs correlate more strongly with World Series success than avoiding strikeouts, and the 2025 landscape favors power with contact. The Astros, Yankees, Dodgers, and Mariners are still poised to capitalize on that, but Milwaukee and San Diego are proving you can win with a composite of speed, defense, and big blasts when the lineup breathes and the bullpen holds the late innings.