Braxton Ashcraft struggles in first-half finale

France broke a 7-7 knot with a homer to left field to give San Diego the 8-7 lead and ultimately the victory. The 31-year-old has been a surprising source of power for the Padres in 2026, as he’s up to 11 homers on the campaign with an excellent .490 slugging percentage. Skepticism is understandable, but don’t forget that France was a solid option not that long ago. It’s not insane to think he’s refinding that form in his return to his first organization.

Guerrero’s three-run homer tied the game at 7-7, and was a towering shot over the left-field wall off Bradgley Rodriguez. That’s just the sixth homer of the season for Guerrero, but it’s the second time in three games, for those looking for hope heading into the break. Guerrero is as good of bet as any disappointing hitter in baseball to bounce back with a big second half after the All-Star break.

Miller did put the tying run on base, but he was able to work around that knock without trouble while fanning a pair. It’s been nothing short of a dominant first half for the 27-year-old; one that has seen him save 24 games with a sparking 0.93 ERA. In a different era, Miller would likely be in the Cy Young conversation.

Buehler had horrendous control of his arsenal with four walks and just 34-of-65 pitches landing in the strike zone, and yet he was Greg Maddux compared to Trey Yesavage (seven walks, 20-of-59 pitches for strikes). The right-hander has just not looked the part as of late, and he’s seen his ERA bump up to 5.36 from the 3.81 it sat at just four outings ago. Buehler’s next start will come after the All-Star break, but it sure seems like his place in the San Diego rotation should be up for debate.

If you like games that feature pitchers throwing strikes — also known as a ‘normal human being’ in some parts — this one wasn’t for you. Toronto and San Diego combined for a whopping 17 free passes in this one, and Yesavage was responsible for relatively close to half of those walks. Four of them came in the first inning, including three to begin the outing and a bases-loaded base on balls a batter later. He threw just 20 of his 59 pitches for strikes, and he issued just one strikeout. Yesavage had solid prior to Saturday, so the hope is that this is just a one-off for the 22-year-old.

Arenado also drew a walk. The 35-year-old took Landon Knack deep for his 12th homer of the season and extended the D-backs’ lead to 9-2. Arenado has hit .243/.318/.413 in his first season with Arizona, and while that’s a far cry from his best seasons with the Rockies and briefly with the Cardinals, it’s serviceable. You can do worse than serviceable.

Yep, that James McCann. He cemented the blowout with a three-run homer off Yoshinobu Yamamoto — yep, that’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto — and he added another with a solo shot against Landon Knack. McCann is not in Arizona for his offense, and while this was an impressive effort, it’s impossible to predict any sort of consistent replication.

Pfaadt scattered six hits, and he didn’t walk anyone while procuring a pair of strikeouts. It makes back-to-back solid starts against solid lineups for the 27-year-old, and it lowers his ERA to 4.70 on the campaign. Since being recalled from Triple-A, Pfaadt has allowed just four runs over 15 2/3 innings, and he’ll look to keep the good run going after the All-Star break.

Yamamoto allowed five hits, and he struck out six while issuing four walks. The normally effective — effective seems like an understatement — was solid over the first five innings with just one run allowed, but fell apart in the sixth while allowing a five-piece; including a three-run homer from James McCann. Yamamoto’s first half was excellent despite this clunker, and he’ll be one of the first starters for the Dodgers after the break. It’s worth noting he’s not pitching in the All-Star break, so fantasy managers won’t have to wait long.

Troy was already a little hobbled after fouling a ball off his foot and then went crashing into the wall making a catch in the fifth. He’s probably day-to-day. Jorge Barrosa took over for him.