Machado’s slam powers Padres, D-backs fall in extras, Snell dominates for Dodgers
(KYMA, KECY) - Manny Machado, Blake Snell, and Brandon Pfaadt all had big moments Wednesday night, but only two of their clubs walked away with wins as the National League (NL) playoff race tightened.
In New York, Machado blasted a tiebreaking grand slam in the fifth inning to lift the San Diego Padres past the Mets 7-4.
It was the 14th grand slam of his career, most among active players. Ramón Laureano also homered and Jake Cronenworth added an RBI single as the Padres stayed two games behind the NL West-leading Dodgers. San Diego holds the second NL wild card spot, five games in front of the Mets.
Juan Soto homered against his former team for his 41st of the season, but Robert Suarez shut the door for his league-leading 39th save.
Meanwhile in Phoenix, the Arizona Diamondbacks wasted a brilliant start from Brandon Pfaadt, who carried a no-hitter into the sixth and allowed just one hit across nine innings.
The bullpen couldn't hold it, though, as the San Francisco Giants erupted for five runs in the 11th inning to beat Arizona 5-1. The Diamondbacks remain 1 1/2 games behind the Mets for the final wild card spot, while the Giants moved within two games.
In Los Angeles, Snell delivered his best outing of the season. The two-time Cy Young Award winner struck out 12 over seven scoreless innings, guiding the Dodgers to a 5-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Shohei Ohtani clubbed his 51st homer and Freddie Freeman also went deep as Los Angeles avoided a three-game sweep.
The results keep the NL West picture in sharp focus: the Dodgers remain two games ahead of the Padres, while the Diamondbacks continue to fight from the outside looking in.
