Padres pregame: Ty France in lineup against old Blue Jays friends, Dylan Cease reminisces with his old friends, too
Ty France has been hit by pitches 132 times in the majors, more than any other active player. The one, from Roki Sasaki, that struck France on the left hand on June 26 had a bit more of a lasting effect.
France was also hit by a pitch the following day and twice in Chicago but his absence from the lineup this week was due to the lingering effects of that pitch from the young Dodgers right-hander.
“I’m good now,” France said Friday afternoon. “My hand was bugging me a little bit from the hit by pitch from Sasaki and just playing through that. I’m not a guy who likes to admit when things aren’t going my way health-wise. I try to play through it, and I’ve always been trained and taught to do that. So it finally got to a point where it’s just uncomfortable.
“So they gave me the last couple days off to let it rest and recover.”
City Connect Friday ✨ pic.twitter.com/bTfPj4x4M3
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 10, 2026
France (.779 OPS) is back in the lineup on Friday (6:40 p.m. on Padres.TV) — at first base and in the six-hole — against familiar faces who might have something for him this weekend.
The 31-year-old was traded from the Minnesota Twins to the Toronto Blue Jays last year. His old teammates have their AL championship rings and could be delivering France his in person following an eventful ride to Game 7 of the World Series.
The Dodgers ultimately prevailed but not before one of the more memorable postseason series in recent history.
“Yeah, it was obviously heartbreaking,” France said of the Blue Jays losing to the Dodgers in 11 innings in Game 7, “but in my opinion, and I think a lot of people in the baseball world, it’ll go down as one of the best World Series of all time.”
France went 1-for-3 off the bench in Game 3 and drove in a run off the bench in Game 4. He also hit .277/.320/.372 with one homer and eight RBIs in 37 games after the Twins’ fire sale included a trade to Toronto to back up Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base.
France ultimately won a Gold Glove for his defense and that trophy was delivered to him in San Diego earlier this year. It’s not set up yet in his home, but he’s leaning toward displaying the AL championship ring alongside the Gold Glove.
“I won’t wear it,” France said. “I think something like that is more of just like having the memory.”
He added: “I mean it was special. That’s a special group over there. From the moment I walked in the doors there, they were accepting of me and brought me in as one of their own, and it was a very close group. So it made going to work every day and going out there to battle with them every day a lot more fun.
“You know, obviously not how we wanted to end it, but it’s something I’ll never forget.”
Here’s how the Blue Jays will line up to start the three-game series:
Hello, San Diego 👋 #BlueJays50 pic.twitter.com/dSggdW8G42
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 10, 2026
Dylan Cease reminisces
Michael King joked late Wednesday night that he was going to text Dylan Cease about his pitch selection in the ninth inning of his no-no bid. The Padres’ right-hander did not get to ribbing his old locker-mate that night, but Cease’s near no-hitter was certainly talked about as he made the rounds on the field at Petco Park on Friday afternoon.
“Yeah, we had a conversation about it,” Cease said while seated in the visiting dugout. “When I ran him through my logic — it’s easy to look back and second guess. It’s very easy, especially when you’re sitting on the couch watching. It’s very easy to go, ‘Oh, you know.’ But yeah, we talked about it a little bit. Michael’s a smart man.”
Michael King joked the other night that he was going to get on Dylan Cease for his pitch selection that ended his no-hitter in the ninth the other day. They did, in fact, talk 🙃 😂 #Padres #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/IlZJcBKNv4
— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) July 10, 2026
Cease took a no-hitter into the ninth inning on Wednesday only to lose it on a single after starting the Giants’ Heliot Ramos with three straight fastballs. It had been nearly two years since throwing the Padres’ second no-hitter — on July 25, 2024 in Washington D.C. — but that wasn’t all that was top of mind as Cease looked back on his time in San Diego with media after spending nearly an hour on the field with his old friends and even in the bullpen alongside pitching coach Ruben Niebla for Nick Pivetta’s latest session.
“He looks good,” Cease said of Pivetta. “Michael’s working on some things. I’m not going to give away his secrets, but he looked good, too.”
As far as his time in San Diego, Cease said: “A lot of positive notes. I wish I performed better last year, but you know, gave it my all. There was a lot of fun times and positive notes in there, but … we didn’t win the World Series, which is the ultimate goal. I feel very grateful I got to play for the Padres. I love San Diego. It’s hard not to love San Diego.
“So it’s a lot of positive memories.”
Cease started the Padres’ lone win in last year’s NL Wild Card Series in Chicago, but his 4.55 ERA in the regular season was more than a run higher than in 2024, when he finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting.
After the season, Cease signed a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Blue Jays in late November ahead of the Winter Meetings and without a real conversation with the Padres, who were strapped for cash and had to get creative to bring back King on a three-year, $75 million deal with opt-outs.
“I feel like I kind of understood,” said Cease, who has a 2.56 ERA and is headed to Philadelphia next week as a first-time All-Star. “I don’t feel like I helped myself with how I pitched last year. So no I wasn’t really bummed. That’s just part of the game, part of the business. No hard feelings or anything. Like I said, I really do love San Diego a lot. This place is special. I feel very grateful I got to play here and it’s always going to be cool coming back.”
Friday’s pitching matchup
Blue Jays RHP Shane Bieber (0-1, 9.00 ERA)
He’s made just three starts after elbow inflammation forced him to the injured list for the first three months of the season. The former AL Cy Young winner has made just 12 starts since the start of 2024 as he’s been interrupted by Tommy John surgery and a difficult road back to full health. A former pupil of Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla’s in Cleveland’s organization, Bieber is making his first career start against the Padres.
Here is how he’s fared against current Padres:
Padres LHP JP Sears (2-1, 4.70 ERA)
The 30-year-old has sandwiched two good starts in wins (10 ⅔ IP, 3 ER) around a clunker at Wrigley Field (4 ⅔ IP, 6 ER). Righties have an .812 OPS off him so far, compared to lefties’ .607. Sears has a 3.00 ERA in 18 career innings against the Blue Jays. He allowed two runs in five innings in a no-decision last year.
Here is how Sears has fared against current Blue Jays:
