The San Diego Padres are headed back to the playoffs for the fourth time in six seasons.
The Padres on Monday clinched a playoff berth with a 5-4, 11-inning win against three-time National League Central champions the Milwaukee Brewers.
Freddy Fermin, acquired from Kansas City at the trade deadline on July 31, singled in automatic runner Bryce Johnson with one out in the 11th to set off a wild celebration in front of a sellout crowd of 42,371 at Petco Park.
Photo: AFP
The Padres pulled within 2.5 games of the idle Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West race and 2.5 games behind the idle Chicago Cubs in the race for the National League’s first of three wild-card spots.
Manny Machado, shirtless, wearing sunglasses and drenched with beer and champagne, said he feels good about the team’s chances in the playoffs.
“Everything is different, but we’ve got heart,” Machado said.
“Everybody wants it. It’s always a challenge. Baseball’s a challenge. It’s hard,” Machado added.
Fermin was being interviewed when Machado stopped by and poured a shot of tequila into his mouth.
“I believe with this staff we have, we are going to the World Series,” catcher Fermin said. “It is very special, this moment. I don’t have words for this moment. Very special. First step, we’ve got to keep rolling this.”
The Padres’ road appears to be tougher than last year, when they swept the Atlanta Braves in a home wild-card series to earn a shot at the Dodgers. San Diego led 2-1 before their bats went so cold that they did not score in the final 24 innings as they lost the series in five games. The Dodgers went on to win the World Series.
“What this group has done this year, and even last year, to put this into place, and for us to go to the post-season two years in a row for the first time since 2005-2006, is truly special,” second baseman Jake Cronenworth said.
If the current standings hold, the Padres would visit the Cubs for a best-of-three wild-card series. The winner would move into the division series against the Brewers, who clinched their third straight division title on Sunday and are in the post-season for the seventh time in eight seasons.
It has been an interesting season for the Padres, who led the division for much of April before slipping back as they played .500 ball in May and sub-.500 ball in June. The Dodgers never could open a big lead, but the Padres could never regain the lead, except for brief stretches last month.
General manager A.J. Preller pulled off a major overhaul at the trade deadline on July 31, acquiring reliever Mason Miller from the Athletics, catcher Freddy Fermin from Kansas City, and outfielders Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano from the Orioles.
The Padres became the first major league team to send three relievers to the All-Star Game when Jason Adam, closer Robert Suarez and left-hander Adrian Morejon were selected for the Midsummer Classic. Adam went down with a season-ending quadriceps injury on Sept. 1.
The Padres were prone to offensive slumps, particularly on the road, but there were some defensive highlights, including several home run robberies by right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr.
Tatis missed the clincher with an undisclosed illness, but Machado included his teammate in the post-game celebration via FaceTime on his phone.
In San Francisco, Ivan Herrera ignited a four-run fifth inning with a two-run homer, and four St Louis relievers combined for four innings of shutout ball as the visiting Cardinals kept their flickering playoff hopes alive with a 6-5 victory over the Giants.
A second straight win by the Cardinals and the eighth loss in 10 games by the Giants left the teams tied in the National League wild-card race. They each trail the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets by 3.5 games and the Arizona Diamondbacks by 2.5 games for the final playoff spot.
Michael McGreevy (8-3) finished the fifth inning to earn the win, charged with all five Giants runs on six hits.
Giants starter Justin Verlander (3-11) served up all six Cardinals runs, only four of which were earned, in 4-1/3 innings. He allowed nine hits and two walks while striking out three.
In Atlanta, Georgia, Michael Harris II produced three hits and three RBIs as the Braves defeated the visiting Washington Nationals 11-5 to extend their winning streak to nine games.
Harris went three-for-five with a double, a run and three stolen bases. Marcell Ozuna contributed three hits, Drake Baldwin added two and Ronald Acuna Jr homered.
Atlanta finished with 14 hits, reaching double figures for the seventh time during the win streak.
Atlanta second baseman Ozzie Albies sustained a fractured hamate bone and is to miss the rest of the season.
Chris Sale (6-5) got the victory despite allowing five runs — matching his season high — in five innings.
Washington starter MacKenzie Gore (5-15) was removed after two-plus innings, his shortest stint of the year. He allowed four runs on four hits and four walks with three strikeouts.
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