This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell’s Padres Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres have spent the past few months wondering what kind of impact a healthy Nick Pivetta could make on a pennant race. At long last, they’re going to find out. In a surprise announcement following Sunday’s game against the Yankees, Padres manager Craig Stammen named Pivetta

SAN DIEGO -- Nearly 40 years ago, the Padres became the first team in Major League history to begin a game by hitting three consecutive home runs. In the four decades since Marvell Wynne, Tony Gwynn and John Kruk all took San Francisco’s Roger Mason deep on April 13, 1987,

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres kept pace in the National League Wild Card race with a 4-3 victory over the Yankees on Sunday afternoon at Petco Park.

SAN DIEGO -- Back and forth they go in the National League Wild Card race. The Padres pulled off perhaps their most dramatic win of the year on Friday -- but followed it with a dud of a 5-1 loss to the Yankees on Saturday night. That allowed the Diamondbacks,

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres hope there are more Luis Campusano moments to come. Maybe a couple more swings like this one in October. Maybe another few big-time throws as the lights grow even brighter down the stretch. Still, a night like this one served as justification for all of

SAN DIEGO -- Luis Campusano did it all on Friday night, throwing out three attempted basestealers before launching a walk-off two-run homer that set the Padres to a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Yankees in 10 innings. Campusano turned on a first-pitch fastball from Yankees right-hander Paul Blackburn and launched

SAN DIEGO -- If Joe Musgrove returns to the Padres this season, it now seems likely that he would not do so as a traditional starting pitcher. Musgrove is in the midst of another setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. With time running out on the season, he

This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell’s Padres Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CINCINNATI -- Joe Musgrove is so close -- so agonizingly close. But it appears his return to a big league mound will be delayed further, after the Padres right-hander experienced further arm soreness following his most recent rehab start.

CINCINNATI -- On one hand, the Padres finished their road trip squarely in the playoff picture, tied for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. On the other hand … what a glorious opportunity missed to build a cushion in that race. San Diego capped a 1-5 trip

CINCINNATI -- For two months, Adrian Morejon has been lights out in his setup role for the Padres. He endured a rare rough outing on Tuesday night in Cincinnati -- and it proved costly. The Reds scored two runs against Morejon in the eighth -- as many as he’d allowed

CINCINNATI -- Sometime Monday night, Ethan Salas got the phone call he’s been waiting for his entire life -- the call letting him know he’d get to wear the Padres uniform he’s spent the past four seasons working toward. When he next dons his catching gear in a game, he’ll

CINCINNATI -- The Padres have viewed Ethan Salas as their catcher of the future from the moment they signed him. That future began Tuesday, with his callup to the big leagues.

CINCINNATI -- Padres utility man Luis Rengifo was diagnosed with a full ACL tear in his right knee and will undergo season-ending surgery, the team announced on Monday. The news is a major blow for the Padres, who had come to rely on Rengifo during his two months with the

CINCINNATI -- Swept by the Rays in agonizing fashion over the weekend, the Padres vowed that they wouldn’t let that series derail them. Easier said than done. That series came with all manner of bad bounces and tough breaks. The Wild Card race was tightening.

This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell’s Padres Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell’s Padres Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres built a super-bullpen. Keeping it healthy has been another story. San Diego placed right-hander Jeremiah Estrada on the 15-day injured list ahead of its 3-0 win on Wednesday over Pittsburgh with a right shoulder impingement. Right-hander David Morgan was recalled from Triple-A El Paso to

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres didn’t have Mason Miller available. They didn’t have Adrian Morejon. They placed Jeremiah Estrada on the injured list before the game. They made it work anyway.

SAN DIEGO -- A few months ago, there was no guarantee we’d ever get to see Yu Darvish on the bullpen mound at Petco Park again. But there he was early Wednesday morning, long before gates opened, throwing a light bullpen session while flanked by about a dozen teammates and

SAN DIEGO -- Every loss counts the same. Some just sting a little more. For the Padres, Tuesday was one of those. Mason Miller stunningly surrendered his first home run of the season -- a laser from Oneil Cruz to the right-field porch at Petco Park with two outs in

SAN DIEGO -- Mason Miller hadn’t surrendered a home run in over a calendar year. He’d gone 76 2/3 innings without doing so -- the longest active streak in the Majors. He’s in the midst of one of the most dominant relief seasons in baseball history. All of which made

SAN DIEGO -- Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta resumed his rehab stint on Tuesday night, working three innings with Single-A Lake Elsinore. Pivetta -- whose rehab was paused after he exited a start earlier this month with elbow discomfort -- threw 47 pitches, 35 for strikes. He allowed three runs on

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres rallied to force extras, but came up short, running and bunting themselves out of the 10th and 11th innings in a 3-2 loss to the Pirates on Monday night at Petco Park. Ultimately, Nick Gonzales’ go-ahead single in the 12th proved decisive, as San Diego