The San Diego Padres will take the majors’ longest winning streak into Anaheim, Calif., on Friday night when they open a three-game series against hot-hitting Mike Trout, major league ERA leader Jose Soriano and the Los Angeles Angels.
The Padres extended their winning streak to eight games with a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday before departing on the short trip north up Interstate 5.
San Diego’s Mason Miller struck out the side in the ninth inning to record his sixth save of the season, throwing three fastballs that were clocked over 102 mph. He extended his scoreless innings streak to 30 2/3, three frames shy of Cla Meredith’s franchise record set in 2006.
Miller has struck out 23 in 9 1/3 innings this season and has allowed just one hit, a line-drive single to San Francisco’s Luis Arraez on April 1. Miller hasn’t given up a run since Aug. 5.
The Padres have reversed course since a 1-4 start.
“Not the start we wanted necessarily, but we know the group we have, and we’re playing at a high level right now,” Miller said.
Right-hander Matt Waldron (0-1, 7.71 ERA in 2025) will be activated from the injured list and get the start in Friday’s opener. He is taking over the spot in the rotation of Nick Pivetta, who went on the injured list with a flexor strain in his right elbow.
Waldron began the season at Triple-A El Paso on a rehab assignment after undergoing surgery in late February for severe hemorrhoids. The veteran knuckleballer didn’t give up a run in three starts (12 innings) for the Chihuahuas, allowing seven hits and a walk while striking out 12.
Waldron is 0-0 with a 1.42 ERA in one career start against the Angels. On Friday, he will oppose Soriano (4-0, 0.33 ERA), who has allowed nine hits and nine walks while striking out 31 in 27 innings this season. The right-hander is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three career appearances (two starts) against San Diego.
Los Angeles went 4-3 on a seven-game eastern trip that concluded with a split of four games against the New York Yankees,
It was a record-setting series for Trout, who became the first opposing player to hit five homers against the Yankees in a series in the Bronx. He also became the first visiting player to homer in four consecutive games at Yankee Stadium.
“It means a lot to me,” Trout said. “There’s been a lot of great players that obviously played here. It’s awesome.”
“He’s been unbelievable,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said of the three-time American League MVP, who has seven homers, 16 RBIs and a .246 batting average this season.
The Angels easily could have swept the series, giving up three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning in a wild 11-10 loss in Monday’s opener. They lost 5-4 on Wednesday following a botched infield popup that opened the door for Jose Caballero’s eventual walk-off two-run double.
Los Angeles hit 13 home runs in the series with New York, including a grand slam by Jo Adell off reliever Ryan Yarbrough in the eighth inning of Thursday’s 11-4 victory.
“Fun series. Obviously lost a couple tough ones, but glad we got that bounce-back from last night after that tough ninth inning,” Trout said. “We took ownership of it, and we turned the page. Just turn the page and keep fighting. We have a great mindset in there, we’re close in there, and we’re just going to keep pushing and take it one game at a time.”
–Field Level Media
