Padres clinch playoff berth by beating Dodgers, D-backs keep Wild Card hopes alive
LOS ANGELES (KYMA) - The San Diego Padres are headed back to the postseason.
San Diego clinched a playoff berth Thursday night with a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, securing their third consecutive postseason appearance and fifth in the last seven seasons.
The Padres improved to 89-70 and remain in position to host the National League Wild Card Series. San Diego enters the final weekend one game ahead of the Chicago Cubs for the top Wild Card spot, with three games remaining.
The Padres took advantage of a three-run seventh inning to break open a scoreless game. Ethan Salas delivered an RBI single, while Fernando Tatis Jr. also drove in a run as San Diego built a 4-0 lead.
Salas, the 20-year-old rookie catcher, accounted for two runs in the victory, including the RBI hit that helped spark the decisive inning.
The Dodgers mounted a late comeback attempt, but Padres closer Mason Miller shut the door in the ninth. After Shohei Ohtani's RBI double cut the lead to 4-2, Miller got Mookie Betts to ground out to third to officially send San Diego into the postseason.
The Padres now turn their attention to securing the top Wild Card seed and home-field advantage. Because San Diego does not hold the tiebreaker over Chicago, the Padres need to finish ahead of the Cubs to guarantee the Wild Card Series will be played at Petco Park.
San Diego's final series of the regular season comes against the Arizona Diamondbacks, creating significant stakes for both teams.
Arizona stayed alive in the playoff race Thursday with a 12-8 win over the Colorado Rockies, completing a three-game sweep and extending its winning streak to five games.
The D-backs erupted for 18 hits, including first-inning home runs from Gabriel Moreno and Nolan Arenado, who each homered during a six-run opening frame. Arenado finished with three hits, while Geraldo Perdomo and Lars Nootbaar also recorded three-hit games.
Arizona improved to 85-74 and enters the final weekend two games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the National League's final Wild Card spot.
The D-backs hold the tiebreaker over Philadelphia, meaning they need to finish at least two games better than the Phillies over the final three games to move into the postseason.
That makes the upcoming three-game series in San Diego critical. Arizona can reach the playoffs by sweeping the Padres while Philadelphia loses at least two of three to Tampa Bay, or by winning two of three while the Phillies are swept.
The Padres and Diamondbacks begin their final series Friday night at Petco Park, with both teams entering the weekend with plenty at stake.
