Why Craig Stammen will not be with Padres for Cubs series finale

The San Diego Padres fell on Tuesday to the Chicago Cubs in the second game of their three-game series. The Padres took the first game of the series, despite a controversial call on a foul ball.

With the two games split, the rubber match is set for Wednesday, but Craig Stammen will not be managing the game. Now it is being reported why Stammen not only left the game on Tuesday, but will miss Wednesday, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.

“Bench coach Randy Knorr managed the final couple innings tonight and will manage tomorrow’s series finale against the Cubs as well. Craig Stammen left the game early to catch a flight to attend a funeral,” Cassavell posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Stammen, a former pitcher with the Washington Nationals and Padres, joined the Padres coaching department ahead of the 2024 season as an assistant to the major league coaching staff. He would be named the manager ahead of the 2026 campaign, leading the Padres to a 19-10 record so far this year. That places them in second place in the NL West, just a half-game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Knorr has spent much of his post-playing career with the Nationals organization, serving in various roles at both the major league and minor league levels. During that time, he served some as the bullpen coach, working with Stammen when the Padres manager was a player. He was hired by Stammen to serve as the bench coach for the Padres this year.

The rubber match of the three-game series is set for Wednesday with a 4:10 p.m. ET first pitch.

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