Freddy Fermin’s late homer isn’t enough as Padres fall short in series finale

The New York Mets won the series finale against the San Diego Padres despite a familiar late run from catcher Freddy Fermin, whose two-run home run gave the Friars a jolt that ultimately arrived too late. Earlier in the game, San Diego dug an early hole and could not fully recover, even with their offense producing solid contact for stretches. The result left the Padres taking a step backward in a stretch that has already tested their patience, as they continue to look for consistency in both innings and execution.

A starter’s rough first four frames set the tone for the Padres. Randy Vásquez surrendered four runs across four shaky innings, pushing San Diego into catch-up mode from the beginning. From there, the bullpen had trouble stabilizing the damage. Yuki Matsui allowed two solo homers, and Ron Marinaccio yielded another run, turning what could have been a manageable deficit into one the Friars would have to overcome in a hurry.

San Diego’s offense did not lack opportunities, but it was repeatedly denied by elite Mets defense. According to Yahoo Sports’ account of the game, three Padres rallies were ended by “incredible” defensive plays, suggesting that part of the final outcome was tied to execution on both sides of the ball. Even so, the Friars’ season-level frustrations have not been confined to one night. The same report described San Diego as being “in a major funk,” which matters because, in a division race, close losses still add up.

The Padres’ pattern of late-game energy is now running parallel to an ongoing question about starting pitching and how quickly games get away. The Gaslamp Ball, writing earlier this week, described the club’s 2026 rotation troubles in broader terms, including a reported 5.12 ERA over the prior 12 games and a sense that San Diego has repeatedly failed to contain damage early enough for the bullpen to clean up. In that context, Sunday’s outcome fits a theme: even when the lineup finds life, digging early deficits makes the margin for error extremely thin.

San Diego’s approach this week also sits inside a schedule and opponent context. Yahoo Sports framed the next opportunity as a chance to turn things around against the Cincinnati Reds, a reference point for how quickly momentum is likely to be re-tested after another series loss. If the Padres are to reverse course, the next priority is less about whether they can rally and more about whether they can prevent the early “gap innings” that force late heroics to do all the heavy lifting.

There are also matchup-specific factors that underline how unpredictable these games can be. Yahoo Sports noted that left-handed pitching has been a mixed bag for the Padres, including Fernando Tatis Jr. posting a career.385 batting average in 13 at-bats against one of the Mets’ lefties (Abbott). On the other side, the Mets’ right-hander Buehler has been described as having regained form recently, with only limited evidence against him from the Padres lineup, and with one notable exception in Nathaniel Lowe’s batting average. Those details matter because they hint that the Padres’ best paths forward may depend on timing, pitch selection, and who sees which arms in which leverage spots.

Beyond this single series, San Diego’s longer-term roster questions may also loom. Gaslamp Ball reported that the team is nearing a potential return of Jhony Brito after his activation from the 60-day injured list and an option to Triple-A El Paso during his rehab window. The underlying point is clear: if the Padres want to stabilize the rotation, adding depth that can provide innings and reduce early volatility would align with what has been missing.

For now, the story of Sunday is simple: the Mets absorbed enough early control to stay ahead, and San Diego’s late surge fell short against the extra defensive sharpness needed to squeeze out the final outs. Fermin’s homer will travel with the team as proof that their power can still show up on the right pitch. The bigger question is whether the Padres can start games the way they can finish them. If they can’t, late swings will keep turning into near misses rather than turning points.