San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres apparently really want slugger Joey Gallo in their lineup by the July 30 trade deadline.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the National League West club "is practically panting for Gallo" and cited one source who said the Texas Rangers star is someone general manager A.J. Preller "might unload for" in a deal.

Gallo is scheduled for arbitration for 2022 and is not slated for unrestricted free agency until 2023, making him potentially more than just a rental for the Padres if they were able to acquire him via trade.

As for Texas, it is in last place in the American League West and doesn't look primed to compete in the immediate future. Trading someone like Gallo to a team that is reportedly desperate to land him is a quick way to restock the farm system and accelerate a rebuild.

From San Diego's perspective, he would add even more pop to a lineup that already includes Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Jake Cronenworth and others and would help in a daunting National League West that also features the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Gallo, 27, is slashing .235/.394/.516 with 24 home runs and 52 RBI this season as one of the best power hitters in the league.

He would provide a left-handed bat alongside the right-handed Tatis and Machado and has 11 home runs in his last 15 games. He seems to be peaking as the season progresses and would make life even more difficult on opposing pitching staffs.

That is a rather daunting thought after the Padres put up 41 runs in a three-game series against the Washington Nationals to start the season's second half.

For now San Diego is five games back of the Giants and four games back of the Dodgers, but Gallo is someone who could help close that gap and at least ensure the team ends up with a wild-card spot.

The focus for San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. shifted dramatically after hearing gunshots during Saturday's game against the Washington Nationals.

The game was suspended in the sixth inning because of a shooting outside of Nationals Park.

"Our family, loved ones, little kids. Feel like somebody needed to go get them," Tatis told reporters of his mindset at the time. "I feel like the safest place was the clubhouse, and we were trying to get our families into a safe place."

The All-Star shortstop added there was no longer a distinction between people inside the stadium and that they were all "human beings trying to be secure."

Nationals manager Davey Martinez was similarly fixated on helping those around him.

"There was a bunch of fans, they were in our dugout, and I wanted to get them safe as well," he said. "We got them in through the tunnel and got them in safely and tried to keep them safe. For me it was just about protecting our people and doing the best I can to stay calm."

A group of Padres players opened a gate along the third-base line that allowed fans to exit the stands and head toward the Padres dugout:

"They thought maybe the dugout could’ve been the safest place, and they led and welcomed and guided people in there," Padres manager Jayce Tingler told reporters. "Couldn’t be any more proud to have those players a part of our team."

Police in Washington, D.C., said three people were injured in the shooting. Authorities are unsure about a motive for the shooting but don't believe it was connected to Saturday's game.

The game resumed Sunday afternoon, with the Padres winning 10-4.

San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth hit for the third cycle in franchise history on Friday evening against the Washington Nationals, and he accomplished the feat before the sixth inning was over.

A two-RBI double in the second inning, an RBI triple in the third, a fifth-inning solo home run and a sixth-inning single got the job done.

Per ESPN Stats & Info, Matt Kemp (2015) and Wil Myers (2017) had the other two Padres cycles. Myers, who is still on the Padres, hit two home runs on Friday.

Cronenworth also joined some Hall of Fame company, per the Elias Sports Bureau:

By the time the top half of the sixth inning was over, the Padres led 19-4, and Cronenworth had gone 4-for-5 with four RBI.

The 27-year-old Cronenworth entered Friday hitting .276 with 12 home runs and 34 RBI. The second-year MLB player made his first All-Star Game this season after finishing as the runner-up in the National League Rookie of the Year race the year before.

The San Diego Padres announced they placed pitcher Yu Darvish on the 10-day injured list because of left hip inflammation.

The move is retroactive to Friday.

Darvish's injuries have been an issue in the past. He started just eight games in 2018 before being mostly healthy the last two seasons. 

Darvish is 7-3 with a 3.09 ERA and 1.00 WHIP this season, his first with the Padres after finishing as the 2020 National League Cy Young runner-up as a member of the Chicago Cubs.

The Padres are on the hook for two more years of Darvish and will have to hope his latest ailment is only a short-term issue.

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado was added to the National League's All-Star squad.

Machado will replace Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., who suffered a season-ending torn ACL. This will be his fifth All-Star selection and his first since signing with San Diego in 2019.

The announcement came midway through San Diego's Saturday night game against the Colorado Rockies:

The 29-year-old originally missed out after Nolan Arenado won the fan vote to be the starting third baseman for the NL. Kris Bryant and Eduardo Escobar were also named reserves, with the latter getting the nod as the Arizona Diamondbacks' lone delegate.

Regardless of whether he's going in as an injury replacement, Machado unquestionably has an All-Star-caliber resume. He ranks sixth among NL position players in WAR (3.1) on FanGraphs, and he owns a .275/.362/.492 slash line to go along with 15 home runs and an NL-best 60 RBI.

The Padres will be well represented at Coors Field in Denver on July 13. Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth, Yu Darvish and Mark Melancon are All-Stars as well. Minor back and hip injuries have ruled Darvish out of competing, though.

If history is any indicator, then the Padres' five All-Stars bode well for the franchise. They last hit that number in 1998, which was the same year they went on to win the pennant.

Already regarded as one of the most exciting teams in Major League Baseball, the San Diego Padres had a relief pitcher make history Thursday in a surprising way. 

Daniel Camarena became the first reliever to hit a grand slam in a regular-season game since 36 years when he took three-time National League Cy Young winner Max Scherzer deep in the bottom of the fourth inning. 

Per MLB.com's Sarah Langs, the last reliever to hit a grand slam in a game was Don Robinson for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 12, 1985 against the Chicago Cubs. 

The Washington Nationals looked like they were on cruise control after the first 3.5 innings. They were leading 8-0 after Trea Turner's two-run homer in the top of the fourth. 

Camarena's grand slam off Scherzer was part of a seven-run inning that cut San Diego's deficit to 8-7. 

Prior to his home run on Thursday, Camarena only other plate appearance in an MLB game ended in a strikeout on June 19 against the Cincinnati Reds. 

San Diego Padres prospect CJ Abrams will miss the rest of the 2021 season after being diagnosed with a fractured left tibia and sprained left MCL, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic.

Abrams was involved in a collision at second base during Wednesday's game and exited in the ninth inning without being able to put much weight on the injured leg, per MLB.com.

The estimated recovery for the injury is three months.

The 20-year-old has spent the entire season playing in Double-A for the San Antonio Missions. Abrams is considered the No. 8 prospect in baseball and the second-best player in the Padres system behind pitcher MacKenzie Gore, per MLB.com.

Abrams was also slated to represent the National League during the 2021 Futures Game.

Initially a first-round pick in the 2019 draft, the infielder has showcased his wide skill set this season while hitting .296 with a .363 on-base percentage, 14 doubles and 13 stolen bases. He also has just four errors in 33 games at shortstop and six at second base.

Even in an organization loaded with young talent, Abrams still stands out as a potential game-changer down the line.

While the latest injury could slow his development, the timetable should allow the prospect to return to full strength in 2022.

San Diego Padres outfielder Tommy Pham settled his lawsuit against Pacers Showgirls International after being stabbed in the parking lot of the San Diego strip club in October, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Pham sued the club for security negligence, saying in the lawsuit he suffered "catastrophic injuries, which have and will continue to cause him significant economic damage, including but not limited to his earning capacity as an elite professional baseball player."

"I beat them," Pham told Nightengale. "They ended up choosing to settle with me for the max. They got crushed. All of the evidence was there, they had to ante up."

Per that report, Pham proved during the civil trial that he was an innocent bystander who didn't have any alcohol in his system and didn't instigate the confrontation.

"I don't know what I could have done different," he said. "The video shows more than one guy showed up at my car, and I chose to defend myself. I guess I could have run, but I don't fear any man like that."

Pham's injuries required 200 stitches, and his slow start to the 2021 season—he was hitting just .182 as of May 21 before he started to find his groove again—could be attributed to the recovery process, as he started his weightlifting routine later in the year and still squats about 100 pounds less than his norm.

He's currently hitting .250 with seven homers and 24 RBI. Not horrible numbers, but hardly the impression he wants to make before becoming a free agent this winter.

"I'm working to get back my strength, and put up my power numbers that I know I'm capable of," he told Nightengale. "I can imagine by next month, my power numbers will really spike."

San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. will not participate in the 2021 MLB Home Run Derby, referencing the health of his left shoulder as well as his team's postseason hopes, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic.

Tatis, who said his shoulder is "75 percent," committed to taking part in multiple Home Run Derbies in the future, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.

Tatis suffered a shoulder subluxation (partial dislocation) during a hard swing April 5 against the San Francisco Giants. He landed on the 10-day injured list.

On Saturday, Tatis left a game against the Cincinnati Reds after re-injuring the shoulder while diving for a ball. He returned to the lineup two days later.

The 22-year-old led the National League with 22 home runs, 15 stolen bases and a 1.022 OPS entering play Friday. He also had 50 RBI and a .281 batting average.

Tatis isn't the only young star who opted to sit out, as Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made the same decision.

Notable participants for the July 12 event at Coors Field in Denver include defending Derby champion and New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso as well as Los Angeles Angels pitcher-designated hitter Shohei Ohtani.

Welcome to the history books, Yu Darvish.

The San Diego Padres ace struck out 11 Los Angeles Dodgers through six innings of Monday's game between the National League West rivals to bring his career total to 1,500. He reached the mark in just 197 games, which is an all-time Major League Baseball record:

San Diego acquired Darvish, 34, from the Chicago Cubs via trade prior to the 2021 campaign, and he has delivered as the No. 1 pitcher for the playoff contenders.

He entered Monday's game with a 2.57 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 97 strikeouts in 84 innings, continuing his brilliance from last year when he was the National League Cy Young runner-up with a 2.01 ERA and 0.96 WHIP.

The four-time All-Star is a major reason the Padres, who entered play chasing the San Francisco Giants and Dodgers in the division but holding onto a wild-card spot, have realistic championship aspirations.