The Padres answered a flat opener against the Dodgers with a much cleaner, much sharper performance Wednesday night, rolling to a 5-1 win in the middle game of the three-game set.
San Diego did the things that win in September: the pitching held up, the bats did enough damage, and the defense stayed out of the way. After being shut out in Tuesday’s series opener, the Padres struck first this time and never gave the Dodgers much room to breathe.
The big swing came in the third inning, when Manny Machado launched a two-run homer to put San Diego in front 2-0. It was Machado’s 29th home run of the season and his 29th all-time against the Dodgers.
The Dodgers did make it interesting in the fourth, cutting the lead to 2-1 and loading the bases with Shohei Ohtani coming up. But Padres reliever David Morgan dug in and outlasted Ohtani in an eight-pitch battle before striking him out to end the inning and stop the rally cold.
San Diego added more cushion in the fifth, scoring two runs after an error by Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Elsewhere around the league, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies kept the Padres from clinching a playoff spot Wednesday night. Still, San Diego got help from the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies, both of whom lost, improving the Padres’ position in the race.
By the end of play Wednesday night, the Padres were a game ahead of both the Phillies and Cubs for the top wildcard seed in the National League.
In Other News...
Padres Win Came With Two Pitching Developments Fans Need To See
The Padres 5-1 win over the Dodgers on Sunday came with more than just another notch in the standings. Robbie Ray handled the early work by giving up one earned run over 3.1 innings, and five relievers finished the job with 5.2 scoreless frames as San Diego kept building toward October at 88-70.
The more interesting part for the Padres is what came with the roster churn around the victory. The club designated a veteran pitcher for assignment, sent another to the Arizona Complex League, and activated Jason Adam from the injured list, while Craig Stammen also offered fresh updates on Joe Musgroves recovery and Walker Buehlers postseason role. For a team already thinking beyond the regular season, those pitching developments may matter as much as the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Just Got A New Bullpen Problem In San Diego
The Padres are getting a key arm back at a timely moment, with right-hander Jason Adam set to come off the 60-day injured list ahead of the series against the Dodgers. San Diego plans to clear a spot by optioning Griffin Canning to Triple-A, with a corresponding 40-man move still to come, and Adam is expected to slide back into the bullpen mix quickly.
Even with the return, the picture is still a little unsettled because Adam has not been sharp in his recent rehab outings. The Padres are clearly betting that getting him back into a major league environment will help, and the timing only adds to the stakes with Los Angeles on deck, since San Diego will want every leverage arm available for what should be a high-pressure stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Are Suddenly One Win From A Huge Wild Card Shift
The Padres spent the night taking care of their own business, and it came with a jolt in the standings. A win over the Dodgers pushed San Diego to the top of the NL Wild Card race, with Manny Machado supplying the kind of damage the club has leaned on all season by driving in runs with a two-run homer. In a stretch where every result seems to carry extra weight, this one mattered because it changed the picture at the top of the board.
San Diegos surge now puts the Padres in position for a potentially major shift with one more victory, and that is exactly the kind of October-adjacent pressure this club has been chasing. The Dodgers loss only sharpened the stakes, and for a team trying to keep control of its path into the postseason, the next game suddenly carries a little more than just one wins worth of meaning. [Read more 🡒]