The Voice of Petco Park, Alex Miniak, and three-time All-Star Heath Bell dive into a jam-packed episode. Fresh off a rough road trip, the guys dig into why the Padres shine at home but stumble away from Petco Park. Heath explains the grind of road routines, short rest, and bullpen-heavy games that wear down a staff.
The conversation shifts to the newly released 2026 Padres schedule — the earliest Opening Day in MLB history (March 26 vs. Detroit), a Fenway Park trip in April, and a Dodgers-heavy May/June at Petco Park. Alex and Heath break down how these matchups could set the tone.
Then it’s time for Friar Fave Award Nominee #2: Jose Iglesias — the ultimate glue guy who’s filled in everywhere while bringing energy, versatility, and even music to Petco Park with his upcoming concert.
Despite the bumps, the postseason outlook stays strong — the Padres still boast a 99% playoff chance — and Heath says September is all about how you finish.
Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome to Bleav in San Diego Baseball!
01:23 - Why is Playing Baseball Hard on the Road?
02:37 - Are the Padres Using the Bullpen Too Much?
04:18 - Tip of the Caps to Ramón Laureano and Seattle's Cal Raleigh
06:28 - Why Can't Catchers Hit?
08:14 - Padres Postseason Chances
08:54 - 2026 Padres Schedule: Highlights and Challenges
15:26 - Is it Better to Face the Gauntlet Early or Late?
17:51 - Friar Fave Award Nominee: Jose Iglesias - Vote at BleavInSD.com!
For Friar fun every week, follow Bleav in San Diego Baseball on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeart, and for free on Substack! You can catch us on the socials too through Instagram, X, and now TikTok!
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Popular Podcasts
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com