Padres lose to Twins as they begin spate of games against losing teams

MINNEAPOLIS — The Padres are almost certainly going to be playing in October, and then they will have to win a number of games against good teams.

For now, they need to worry about beating bad teams.

Because that is primarily the type of opponent they play as they try to wrap up a postseason berth over the course of the season’s final month.

On Friday night, they were the team not playing all that well in a 7-4 loss to the Twins.

The Padres had two chances with the potential tying run at the plate in the ninth inning before Elias Díaz struck out and Fernando Tatis Jr. flied out with two men on.

But that hardly could distract from the fact this was not one of their finer efforts of 2025.

Starting pitcher Nestor Cortes was done before recording an out in the fourth inning, the offense did little against a young starting pitcher who has struggled and a depleted bullpen and the game turned on a fourth-inning error by Jake Cronenworth.

“I just didn’t make the play,” Cronenworth said of what seemed to be a tailor-made double play grounder getting past him in the fourth inning. “I cost us the game. I have to make that play. I let the team down tonight.”

The loss, the Padres’ fourth in five games, could drop them three games behind the Dodgers in the National League West.

The Twins began the night tied with the Orioles for the sixth-worst record in the major leagues. The Orioles visit Petco Park for three games beginning Monday. After that, the Padres play three games in Colorado against a Rockies team that is on pace to lose 116 games.

In all, just nine of the Padres’ final 27 games are against teams with winning records. Based on the combined winning percentage of their opponents, the Padres’ remaining schedule is the easiest in the major leagues.

That would seem to bode well for a team that has rarely played down to its  competition this season.

Their record has been built largely by trampling bad opponents, as they entered Friday with an MLB-best 46-24 record against teams with losing records. (They were the only team in playoff position with a losing record against teams at .500 or better.)

But they just could not get much of anything going in the series opener against the Twins, who were 9-16 since trading away eight players (including four relief pitchers) from the major league roster at the deadline.

The Padres scored in the third inning after Cronenworth led off with a single and Twins starting pitcher Zebby Matthews bobbled a ball he tried to barehand.

Matthews hurried off the mound toward the chopper Freddy Fermin sent to the third base side of the mound but could never grip the ball. That gave the Padres runners at first and second. And more importantly, it gave Cronenworth a chance to tag up and run to third base on Fernando Tatis Jr.’s fly ball out to center field and score on Luis Arraez’s fly ball out to left field.

The Twins tied the game in the bottom of the third on two singles and a fielder’s choice before the Padres took the lead again in the fourth on a two-out double by Gavin Sheets and a single by Jose Iglesias.

But Cortes, who six days earlier had allowed the Dodgers one hit over six scoreless innings, was about to be done in by his lack of command and, after he departed, Cronenworth’s error.

The Twins started the bottom of the fourth inning by with a single and a walk, which was about to end Cortes’ night before his night got ended for him.

As Padre manager Mike Shildt walked from the dugout to make a pitching change, Cortes was thrown out of the game by home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez after telling the umpire he had missed some calls.

Wandy Peralta replaced Cortes and allowed a single to load the bases before it appeared the Padres would at least get the first two outs of the inning while the tying run scored.

But a grounder by Kody Clemens, which seemed destined to be a double play, bounced off Cronenworth’s glove and through his legs. Two runs scored, and runners ended up at second and third. Those runners scored when Trevor Larnach grounded a single up the middle against an infield that was playing in.

The Twins added two runs in the fifth to go up 7-2.

The Padres’ seventh hit off Matthews (4-4, 4.91) was Sheets’ lead-off single in the seventh. The 25-year-old right-hander, who was pulled after that, finished six innings for the third time in his 12 starts this season and worked his second quality start.

A single by Jose Iglesias and walk by Cronenworth loaded the bases against Justin Topa. And after pinch-hitter Will Wagner popped out in foul territory, Tatis grounded a single up the middle to drive in two runs and make it 7-4 before the inning ended when Twins second baseman Luke Keaschall caught a line drive by Luis Arraez and threw to first base to double up Tatis.