The San Diego Padres kicked off their final homestand of the regular season at Petco Park on Monday night, with a packed house in attendance. The team took a significant step towards securing their spot in the postseason, as they gained ground in two important races.
While the Dodgers won their game against Atlanta, keeping the Padres’ deficit in the NL West race at 3 1/2 games, San Diego made progress in other areas. With the Braves’ loss, the Padres now have a 4 1/2-game lead over Atlanta, who are currently outside of the playoff picture. Additionally, the Diamondbacks were defeated by Colorado, giving San Diego a 2 1/2-game advantage over Arizona for the top Wild Card spot and potential home-field advantage in the Wild Card Series.
Center fielder Jackson Merrill expressed confidence about their position: “Yeah, we’re right there… But keep your head down and keep going.” Jurickson Profar added that winning is more fun when everyone is contributing.
Pitcher Yu Darvish had an impressive performance on Monday night. He pitched six scoreless innings and allowed only three hits. This outing strengthened his case for inclusion in a potential Wild Card Series rotation. Darvish’s return from injury has been impactful for the team.
Offensively, Luis Arraez bounced back from his first strikeout in 141 plate appearances with two hits but injured his knee during one play at home plate. Despite this setback, Arraez remained optimistic about being included in Tuesday’s starting lineup.
The Padres had an impressive offensive display overall with a total of 13 hits during Monday’s game. Profar stood out with four hits and even hit an insurance homerun in the eighth inning. Merrill also contributed to their success by hitting his 24th home run of his rookie season.
With a two-run lead going into ninth inning Manager Mike Shildt trusted Robert Suarez to close out another victory for them despite Suarez’s recent struggles as closer.
Over recent days, while other teams like Dodgers,Mets,and Braves have lost twice each and Diamondbacks have lost three times,the Padres have gained significant ground on each team.They are now closer to topping their division than missing out on playoffs altogether.Their focus has shifted towards chasing down Dodgers but securing postseason berth remains top priority.The earliest possible clinch date is Friday according to sources within organization
The Padres have maintained focus on small details throughout this successful stretch since All-Star break.They believe that taking care of these little things will ultimately lead them to achieve bigger goals.Arraez emphasized that they have everything needed to win; they just need to stay healthy.
