SAN DIEGO — It’s not a surprise when you lose in the late innings to the San Diego Padres, who have as good a back end of the bullpen as anyone in baseball. But this certainly was an interesting way to do it. 

The Giants rallied in the eighth at Petco Park but ultimately lost 6-5 on a Jake Cronenworth walk-off in the bottom of the ninth. 

The game was close throughout, and the Giants, trailing by a pair, loaded the bases in the eighth against Jeremiah Estrada. For a moment, it appeared that would be as far as they would get. 

The Padres called on Mason Miller, the game’s best reliever, for a five-out save, and he buzzed through Grant McCray after entering the game. But with two outs, Osleivis Basabe stunned a sellout crowd. 

The 25-year-old got an elevated 102.9-mph fastball from Miller and yanked it into the corner for a game-tying two-run double. The ball left his bat at 109.6 mph, and gave him an impressive honor in his first start as a Giant. That was the hardest pitch any Giant has turned into a base hit in the Statcast era, topping a Gregor Blanco single on a 102.4 mph pitch from Jordan Hicks in 2018. It was also the hardest-hit ball against Miller this season. 

Xander Bogaerts led off the bottom of the ninth with a double off Dylan Smith. After getting bunted over to third, he scored on Cronenworth’s single to center. 

Was That The End?

Tyler Mahle has turned himself into a solid trade candidate in recent weeks, and there’s a good chance he’s dealt to a team that needs rotation depth for the final two months of the 2026 MLB season. If this was his final start for the Giants, it unfortunately matched a lot of his April and May outings. 

Mahle was charged with five earned on five hits, including a two-run homer from light-hitting catcher Freddy Fermin. He has a 5.13 ERA, although his FIP is a much more respectable 4.38.

Mahle’s velocity has ticked up in recent starts, and he threw a 95.7 mph fastball Saturday that was tied for his second-hardest of the year. He averaged 93.8 mph overall, an improvement of 1.2 mph from the rest of the season. 

Mahle is on a one-year, $10 million contract, although the way it’s structured, he’s owed just over $2 million the rest of the way (along with some reachable performance bonuses). The Giants could — and should — pay some of that down to increase the return if there’s interest. 

On The Board

Basabe was a late fill-in for second baseman Luis Arraez, who was scratched because of cramps, per the Giants. No additional details were given, but they weren’t necessary (the 2026 MLB trade deadline is two days away). 

Basabe took advantage of the extra playing time even before the late heroics, blasting a pitch from Walker Buehler into the Western Metal Supply Co. building in the third inning. The homer was his first for the Giants and first in the big leagues since 2023, when he hit one for the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Basabe and Nate Furman — called up Saturday — are next up at second base if the Giants trade Arraez before Monday afternoon’s deadline. Christian Koss also would be in the mix, but right now he’s needed at third base because Matt Chapman isn’t ready to return from an abdominal strain.

Furman made his MLB debut in the bottom of the eighth. He came in defensively after the Giants hit for Koss in the top of the inning. 

A New Look

Without Arraez, Tony Vitello used Bryce Eldridge in the leadoff spot. It was his first start there, although it was not as unusual of a look as it might seem. Fellow 6-foot-7 slugger Aaron Judge has 161 career plate appearances in the leadoff spot. 

Eldridge got off to a good start, hitting a single to left in his first at-bat. He was 2-for-5 overall. 

If Vitello needs to make similar lineup decisions the rest of the way, Jung Hoo Lee would be a more likely choice. He moved up to the second spot Saturday when the lineup went through late changes.

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