Padres set for Cubs Wild Card rematch; Diamondbacks fall short of playoffs again

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KYMA) - The San Diego Padres closed out the regular season on a high note Sunday, defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-4 at Petco Park.

San Diego finished the regular season 91-71 and will enter the postseason as the National League's No. 4 seed. The Padres will host the Chicago Cubs in the NL Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday.

The game also marked the end of Arizona's postseason hopes. The Diamondbacks needed a win and a Philadelphia Phillies loss to keep their playoff hopes alive, but Philadelphia defeated Tampa Bay 7-3 to clinch the final NL wild-card spot.

The Padres rested several regulars with their playoff spot already secured, including Xander Bogaerts, Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr.

San Diego took a 3-1 lead into the seventh inning before Arizona rallied to tie the game at 4. Lars Nootbaar's two-out RBI single brought home the tying run.

The Padres quickly answered in the bottom half of the inning.

After four consecutive walks brought home the go-ahead run, Freddy Fermin delivered a two-run single to put San Diego ahead 7-4. The Padres added two more runs in the eighth to finish the regular season with a win.

Fermin played a key role throughout the game, driving in three runs.

The victory gave Padres manager Craig Stammen 91 wins in his first season at the helm. San Diego also finished with its third consecutive 90-plus-win season.

Stammen said the Padres battled through adversity during the season and finished the regular season playing some of their best baseball.

“We won 91 games, and that makes it a lot more fun,” Stammen said. “We battled through some tough times, and we were able to come out of it stronger and better. We finished the season playing great baseball, probably our best of the season, and hopefully that carries into the postseason.”

For Arizona manager Torey Lovullo, the loss ended a season in which the Diamondbacks finished one game short of the postseason.

Lovullo said the team had nothing to be ashamed of after fighting throughout the season, while acknowledging that decisions about his future with the organization remain ahead.

“We fought as hard as we could, and we have nothing to be ashamed of,” Lovullo said. “We played hard for every inning of every game. We came up a couple of games short, and we've got to find a way to turn that corner and start winning baseball games.”

The Padres now turn their attention to the Cubs in a rematch of last year's NL Wild Card Series. Chicago eliminated San Diego in three games last postseason, but this year's series will be played at Petco Park.

Game 1 is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m., with Game 2 on Wednesday and a potential Game 3 on Thursday.

The winner will advance to face the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Division Series.