San Diego, CA

Padres still can’t escape struggles against Rockies

Published

2 years ago

August 3, 2024

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Padres still can’t escape struggles against Rockies

Clearly, the surging Padres aren’t going to win every game.

They do need to win more games against the cellar-dwelling Rockies.

Manny Machado and Donovan Solano both homered, but a souped-up bullpen stumbled on Friday night and the Padres’ bewildering struggles against Colorado continued in a 5-2 loss in front of a sellout crowd of 44,393 at Petco Park.

“Tomorrow, we’ve got to change that,” second baseman Xander Bogaerts said. “These guys probably feel good playing against us. We have to come in here and change that tomorrow.”

The Padres began the weekend with a 29-23 record against teams in playoff position and have clinched their first season series against the Dodgers since 2010.

Lot of good that will do if they’re giving games away against the Rockies, who have won six of the first eight meetings and are a win away from clinching the season series.

Friday’s lead unraveled when it looked like the Padres’ strength was ready to bring it home.

Machado homered off Padres nemesis Austin Gomber to tie the game at 1 in the second inning, Donovan Solano added a solo shot in the fourth and Randy Vásquez got through five innings to hand a one-run lead to the bullpen that A.J. Preller strengthened ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.

First out of the gate on Friday: Jeremiah Estrada.

Only he walked the first two batters he faced, gave up an infield single to load the bases and coughed up three runs on Kris Bryant’s one-out single and Jake Cave’s two-out blooper.

“Jeremiah’s been fantastic for us,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “The two walks, that got him. Some softer contact and found a hole and next thing you know they threw up some runs.”

Alek Jacob got the final out of the sixth inning, but he allowed the Rockies an insurance run in the seventh on back-to-back singles and Ryan McMahon’s ensuing sacrifice fly.

It was the first run that Jacob has allowed in six appearances in the majors.

Jacob followed with a scoreless eighth and Yuki Matsui threw a perfect ninth.

The Padres can only hope Friday’s stumble is a one-off for a team that’s still won nine of its first 12 since the All-Star break.

For a team that’s gone through the Guardians, Orioles and Dodgers in stacking that second-half success, there certainly isn’t much logic in such drastic struggles against a team that walked into Petco Park 30 games under .500 and a 16-41 road record.

Except this.

“It’s the big leagues,” first baseman Jake Cronenworth said Friday afternoon as he assessed the challenge of carrying momentum forward after improving to 7-3 on the season against the Dodgers.

As in they are more than aware of the wrench that any team can throw into their plans at any point.

In fact, they’ve already been swept once at home by the Rockies after winning a series against the Dodgers, as was the case in May.

They believe things are different now.

“We’re further along in the season,” Cronenworth said. “We know who we are more than we have all year. I think the way we’ve been playing as well is different.”

It just didn’t materialize on Friday against the Rockies.

Their only runs scored on home runs from Machado, his 17th of the season, and Solano, his fourth.

Jurickson Profar looked like he’d put a charge in their hopes to start the eighth, but center fielder Brenton Doyle leapt against the wall in right-center to rob him of a home run to get his bullpen started on the right foot.

“That’s tough,” Bogaerts said. “The timing of the game, too, right there. If that ball’s gone, a home run? It sucked the air out of the whole ballpark for sure. … Credit to Gomber, he kept us off-balance the whole night. I feel like that ball from Profar would have been a nice game-changer possibility and he made an unbelievable play.”

By the time Gomber exited after seven innings, he’d struck out five and scattered five hits and a walk.

Through three starts against the Padres, Gomber has allowed three earned runs over 18 innings for a 1.50 ERA.

Two of his three wins this season are against the Padres.

Shoot, six of the Rockies’ 41 victories this season are against the Padres.

Rebounding from his worst start of the season (2 IP, 6 ER), Vásquez paid only for the solo homer that Brendan Rodgers pulled to left to start the second inning.

Vásquez struck out four in five innings and allowed just three hits despite walking two batters and hitting another before giving a one-run lead to the new-look relief corps.

“I was confident; I still am confident in that bullpen,” Vásquez said through interpreter Danny Sanchez. “We have a lot of talent in that bullpen, so I’m super confident in those guys.”

Originally Published: August 2, 2024 at 9:17 p.m.

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San Diego, CA

Joan Endres – San Diego Union-Tribune

Published

4 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Joan Endres

OBITUARY

Born January 1939 in Cincinnati Ohio. Died February 14, 2026, in San Diego, California, with her sons at her side. Her beloved husband Dean passed away in 2010.

Joan was the only child of Thomas and Edna Palmer. In 1943, the family moved to San Diego, where Joan graduated from Helix High School in 1956.

In 1957 Joan married Dean Endres of San Diego, where they raised two sons. Joan followed her two great passions outside the home, the Arts, and Gardening. Both activities being a way to bring beauty to others and to the community.

Joan received a degree in Environmental Design from San Diego State University, and afterwords worked at UCSD, for the Campus Architect.

As an artist, Joan worked in various media, especially ceramics. She was active in many cultural and arts organizations, eventually becoming President of the Combined Organization for the Visual Arts (COVA). Later she turned to gardening, with the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca Community College and the Master Gardener Association of San Diego County.

Joan is survived by her son Jeff and wife Katrin, grandson Jackson, and son Todd Endres, all of La Mesa, and sisters Alice Buck of Phoenix, Elaine Kennedy of San Diego, Nancy and husband Don Jones of Vista, Eva Budzinski of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, and their children and grandchildren.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Joan in the near future. Those who wish to attend should contact celebratejoanuvart@gmail.com to receive details when they are confirmed. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully suggests a donation to the Water Conservation Garden or the Diego Visual Arts Network (SDVAN).

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San Diego, CA

San Diego State moves back into NCAA Tournament field in latest ESPN Bracketology

Published

16 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

San Diego State moves back into NCAA Tournament field in latest ESPN Bracketology

The San Diego State Aztecs’ have moved off the bubble and back into the NCAA Tournament’s Field of 64 in the latest ESPN’s Bracketology projections.

The Aztecs must feel like a yo-yo, but now it’s in a good way. Bracket expert Joe Lunardi moved them from the bottom of the First Four Out — No. 72 — to holding the Mountain West’s automatic bid after an 89-72 home romp Wednesday night over Utah State, which had held the auto-bid in bracketology for a few weeks now.

Lunardi now has the Aztecs as the No. 11 seed in the West Region, with a projected first-round date against former MW rival BYU in Portland.

Lunardi wrote that SDSU’s auto-bid “shifts the entire bubble.”

Wednesday night’s victory not only pulled the Aztecs (19-8, 13-4) into a tie with Utah State (23-5, 13-4) atop the MW standings, but it was just their second Quad 1 victory in six such opportunities.

SDSU’s next two games are both Quad 1 chances, at New Mexico on Saturday and then at Boise State on Tuesday night.

The win lifted the Aztecs only one spot in the NCAA NET Rankings, to No. 43. Those rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for March Madness.

SDSU’s resume for earning an at-large berth has been on shaky ground all season, and was seriously damaged last week when the Aztecs lost at home to Grand Canyon and were then routed at Colorado State, both Quad 2 games.

SDSU’s best bet to assure a trip to March Madness for the sixth straight season is to win the MW tournament in Las Vegas and claim the automatic bid. That requires winning three games in as many days, and perhaps a third showdown against the Aggies, who beat the Aztecs 71-66 in Logan on Jan. 31.

Lunardi now has Utah State projected as an at-large team, but still with the No. 7 seed in the East, facing No. 10 Texas A&M in a first-round game in St. Louis.

New Mexico (21-7, 12-5), lurking just a game behind SDSU and USU, has dropped from the Last Four In at No. 68 to the First Four Out at No. 70.

The Aztecs were the unanimous preseason pick to win the MW regular-season title in their final season in the league before moving into the Pac-12 along with Utah State, Boise State, Fresno State and Colorado State.

Saturday’s game at New Mexico is set to tip off at 11 a.m. PT and will air on CBS.

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San Diego, CA

Oregon State Dismantles San Diego 83-49

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

The top teams in the West Coast Conference are jockeying for position in the standings as the regular season draws to a close, and the Oregon State women took care of business Thursday night, blowing out the San Diego Toreros 83-49 to move to 21-9 on the season, and 13-4 in conference play.

Oregon State’s Tiara Bolden Grabs WCC Honor After 44 Points Over Two Games

The Toreros have been a basement dweller in the conference for the last few seasons, so this result isn’t surprising, though it’s magnitude is a bit eye-raising. The Beavers wasted no time putting San Diego into a hole, opening the first quarter on an 8-0 run that Tiara Bolden and Kennedie Shuler getting involved early. Oregon State held a 14 point, 26-12 lead after one.

The second quarter wasn’t as lopsided, but San Diego wasn’t able to make much headway into the Beaver lead. Six points from Olivia Owens kept San Diego within shooting distance, but defensive pressure from Kennedie Shuler and strong rebounding from Lizzy Williamson kept the Toreros under control. Oregon State ended the first half up by 13, 40-27.

Oregon State Dominates Cougars in 79-51 Blowout

Oregon State tightened their grip in the third. While Olivia Owens and Kylie Ray managed to give the Toreros some hope early in the quarter, Oregon State went on a run late in the period to get their lead to 21 at the highest. San Diego finally snapped the Beaver hot streak, but a three from Kennedie Shuler ended the quarter in a 61-43, 18 point Beaver lead.

The bottom seemed to fall out of San Diego in the fourth, with the Toreros only putting six points on the board. Tiara Bolden and Kennedie Shuler kept the points flowing for the Beavers, while Lizzy Willilamson continued to dominate the boards. A layup with an and one from Elisa Mehyar were the last Beaver points of the game, giving Oregon State a 34 point, 83-49 win.

Oregon State Takes Down Portland 64-54 in Season Saving Game

It was a good night for several Beavers, with Kennedie Shuler once again leading the team in scoring. She finished the night with 22 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. She can do just about everything on the court.

Tiara Bolden continued her hot streak with a 17 point night, along with four rebounds and four assists. Jenna Villa added 14 points, one rebound and one assist. Lizzy Williamson added another double double to her resume, with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Oregon State’s Winning Streak Ends With 55-51 Loss to LMU

There’s one last item on the agenda for Oregon State, a season-closing meeting with the Loyola Marymount Lions Saturday at Gill Coliseum. The Lions handed Oregon State their first WCC loss of the season back in January, so getting some revenge before the conference tournament would be a good statement from the team. Tip off is set for 1 PM PT.

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