The Latest Breaking News from Padres

SAN DIEGO — There was virtually no question Blake Snell was not going to finish a no-hitter Wednesday night.

The 42-year-old is in his final Major League season and is hoping to join three baseball legends in reaching 700 home runs. Only Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds have done it. Pujols has 698.

When a ballclub plows a quarter of a billion dollars into the player payroll, as Padres leaders have this year, it's the same as shouting out a request.

If this series is a playoff preview, the Cardinals are seeing a Padres team that might actually be ready.

SAN DIEGO — Ryan Helsley's four-seamer regularly hits triple-digits. He's 18 for 22 in save chances and has fanned 88 in 60 1/3 innings in this breakout year in the back of the Cardinals' bullpen.

PHOENIX — It wasn’t perfect by any means, but a 6-1 victory over the Diamondbacks and two losses that occurred elsewhere made for a good Sunday for the Padres.

SAN DIEGO — The Padres can be a hard, frustrating follow. Far too often, I feel as though I'm binge-watching C-SPAN with pink eye.

PHOENIX — The Padres worked and worked before it ultimately worked for them.

We are three weeks away from the start of the playoffs, with the first game of all four wild-card series scheduled back-to-back-to-back. You can be sure that MLB will market the event as baseball’s version of the first day of March Madness. (Fall Frenzy, anyone?) But regardless of how well…

PHOENIX — Sean Manaea was back and better.

SEATTLE — What is the best way to bounce back from being held scoreless for the first time in 72 games?