Good Morning San Diego: Padres rally late to tie Diamondbacks; Nick Castellanos is settling into new role at first base

The San Diego Padres could not get much going against Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Pfaadt in their game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Sunday. San Diego was unable to record a hit against the right-hander through five innings, but in the eighth and ninth innings, facing relievers, the Padres scored four runs and pulled even with the Diamondbacks and the game ended in a 4-4 tie.

Randy Vazquez started the game for San Diego, and he too had success controlling the Arizona lineup through his first three innings and he entered the bottom of the fourth with the game tied 0-0. Vasquez ran into trouble in the fourth when he hit the first batter, allowed a single to center field which was misplayed by Samad Taylor and resulted in a one-run lead for the Diamondbacks. Vasquez then allowed a single, a triple and a single and Arizona had a 4-0 lead in the fourth before an out was recorded. He did get a lineout following the consecutive hits and was replaced on the mound by Johan Moreno. A forceout on a ground ball and a runner caught stealing by Freddy Fermin ended the inning.

Vasquez returned for the fifth and put all three batters down in order. The rest of the Padres pitching staff shutout the Diamondbacks over the final five innings and San Diego rallied in the eighth for three runs to make the score 4-3 before tying the game in the ninth with a run.

Padres News:

• Nick Castellanos started his career on the dirt as a third baseman. He then spent several years on the grass as a right fielder. Since joining the Padres, he has said he will play anywhere the team needs him. That need may be at first base and Castellanos seems to be handling the transition as well as expected and could play a significant role for San Diego in 2026.

• There has been and still is an ongoing battle for the fifth spot in the San Diego rotation, but that may be decided after Spring Training once Griffin Canning is able to return to game-action. The free-agent pitcher is recovering from an Achilles injury and is expected to return early in the 2026 season. The addition of Canning and possibly reliever Jason Adam who is recovering from his quadriceps tendon injury could be a boost for Padres pitchers.

Baseball News:

• New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor made his return to Spring Training after Hamade surgery and had a successful day with plenty to build on with Opening Day just around the corner.

WBC News:

• Mike Trout and then Los Angeles Angels teammate Shohei Ohtani provided one of the most memorable WBC moments in tournament history when the USA slugger faced the Japanese pitcher in the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic final. Trout is not participating in the 2026 tournament, but like most baseball fans, is still watching and is happy to see the success of the global event.