Yu Darvish Returns Tonight—San Diego Padres Aim to Seize NL West Lead

The San Diego Padres returned to Petco Park this week with two story-lines tailor-made for a postseason push: Manny Machado’s historic 2,000th career hit and the long-awaited 2025 debut of ace Yu Darvish. Machado reached the milestone Monday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks, rifling a seventh-inning single to left that sent the sell-out crowd into a roar and moved the third baseman into exclusive company—just the 12th player to post 2,000 hits and 350 home runs before turning 33. The knock punctuates a torrid stretch in which Machado is slashing .337/.402/.615 over his last 30 games, helping the Padres slice a once-double-digit NL West deficit to four games entering Tuesday’s slate. San Diego’s rotation, meanwhile, finally looks whole. Darvish, sidelined since March with elbow inflammation, flashed mid-90s velocity and five strikeouts across five scoreless innings in Sunday’s rehab tune-up at Triple-A El Paso. Manager Mike Shildt confirmed the 38-year-old will be activated for Wednesday’s rubber match with Arizona, bumping rookie Matt Waldron to the bullpen. With Joe Musgrove trending toward an early-August return from shoulder fatigue, San Diego suddenly boasts the depth it lacked during a 12-17 June swoon. Key numbers spotlight the turnaround: • 18–9: Padres’ record since June 10, the best mark in the National League. • 2.91: Team ERA over that span, second only to Atlanta. • 34: Combined RBIs from Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Arráez since the lineup was shuffled on June 12. Arizona provides an immediate measuring stick. The defending NL champions arrive in town having taken six of the first nine meetings, but Padres hitters own a .312 average this season against scheduled Tuesday starter Zac Gallen. A series win would move San Diego to 5–2 on the homestand and inch them within three games of first place with 76 left to play. Off the field, the club also confirmed its popular mint-and-pink City Connect uniforms will be retired after the 2025 campaign, a decision tied to MLB’s new alternate-jersey rotation guidelines. Expect brisk sales as fans rush to snag a last-chance collectible. What’s next: Darvish vs. Arizona rookie Brandon Pfaadt, first pitch 6:40 p.m. PT. After that, a four-game swing through Chavez Ravine could redefine the NL West race before the All-Star break. If Machado stays hot and Darvish resembles his Cy Young finalist form, the Padres may finally look like the powerhouse their payroll promised.