Padres’ Jake Cronenworth bounced back with a big swing. They need more of those

SAN DIEGO — Twenty minutes after a game that concluded one of the longer days of his career, Jake Cronenworth pointed to a spot in front of his locker. There, on the carpet of the San Diego Padres’ clubhouse, was a fleck of dried blood. It had been more than five hours since Cronenworth took a bad-hop ground ball to the nose during infield practice, briefly putting the rest of his season in doubt.

And it had been a little more than two hours since he committed a costly error in the top of the first, then launched a three-run drive in the same inning. Following Tuesday’s 4-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cronenworth spoke in terms that were both literal and metaphorical.

“You get smacked in the face there in the first inning and then homer — it’s just the cherry on top,” he said. “What a day.”

The Padres would like to avoid many more days like it.

After nearly losing Cronenworth — who returned last week from a lengthy stint on the concussion injured list — they watched star third baseman Manny Machado crumple to the ground after fouling a ball off his left big toe in the bottom of the third. An inning later, outfielder Samad Taylor exited after feeling a twinge in his side on a swinging strikeout. It all felt like overkill for a team that had suffered nine losses and three other injuries over the previous 10 games.

The Padres would also take many more results like Tuesday’s.

“A lot of bouncebacks,” manager Craig Stammen said.

INTO THE CRONE ZONE pic.twitter.com/RjNR46ZOCr

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 8, 2026

During those nine losses, the Padres absorbed their most lopsided defeat ever, multiple other blowouts and what felt like gut punch after gut punch. None hurt more than the decisive grand slam Teoscar Hernández hit Friday at Dodger Stadium, shortly after Cronenworth committed an error on a potential double-play ball.

“I lost us the game,” a dejected Cronenworth said that night.

Tuesday, in the end, was a far better day. The veteran infielder grabbed a sausage breakfast burrito and a coffee from one of his favorite local spots. He arrived at Petco Park early and began preparing to face right-hander Zac Gallen as the Padres’ starting first baseman.

Then, while he took ground balls before the game, one hit the lip of the infield grass.

“It bounced up and freaking crushed me right in the nose,” Cronenworth said, “and I just started bleeding everywhere.”

Team medical staff treated Cronenworth on the field. It was hard not to think about the April day he took a fastball to the jaw, an injury that eventually led to his first-ever concussion diagnosis and two months on the shelf. For at least a few minutes, an abbreviated season might have flashed before his eyes.

“There was a lot of things going through my mind at the time,” said Cronenworth, who described 2026 as “probably the toughest year of my career.

“Just weighing everything and thinking.”

About an hour after his mishap, and after more medical examination, Cronenworth took swings in the batting cage and felt good enough to play. Then, the game began. He booted a grounder, which led to a Diamondbacks run and extended a lengthy first inning for starter Germán Márquez. For a moment, it felt like another blowout might be developing.

Then, Márquez escaped the frame. And Cronenworth, batting with two men on in the bottom of the inning, redeemed himself with a long drive inside the right-field foul pole.

The Padres went on to lose Taylor. Machado stayed in the game and completed it. Both players will be re-evaluated Wednesday.

And Cronenworth will enter a new day hitting a career-worst .183 with three home runs. Yet, since his return, he has gone 10-for-29 with two of those home runs. The Padres need many more bouncebacks if they are to save their season.