Walker Buehler gave San Diego six commanding innings Sunday at Petco Park, and Fernando Tatis Jr. supplied a seventh-inning homer as the Padres beat the Marlins 7-3 to continue a remarkable late-season charge.
The result
The Padres have won 13 of their last 14 games, turning a club that had been outside the playoff picture not long ago into one standing on the edge of October. Sunday’s victory reduced San Diego’s magic number to two, with the possibility that it could fall again depending on Arizona’s result against the Yankees.
Both the Padres and Diamondbacks are idle Monday, meaning Tuesday night is the first chance for San Diego to secure a postseason berth. It would be a landmark clinch: in 58 seasons, the franchise has never made the playoffs in three consecutive years.
Reaching the field is no longer the only aim in the San Diego clubhouse. The Padres are chasing the National League’s top Wild Card position, which would bring a Wild Card Series to Petco Park.
San Diego and the Cubs are each 87-69 after both clubs won Sunday. Chicago owns the season-series tiebreaker. The Phillies, at 86-70 after their own win, remain one game behind in the third Wild Card slot.
Buehler’s strong work gets a late dent
Buehler carried a shutout into the seventh, keeping every Miami runner from reaching second base through his first six frames. With the bullpen having worked extra innings the previous night, manager Craig Stammen elected to let his starter open the seventh.
The inning turned after Buehler allowed two baserunners, and Javier Sanoja drove a two-out, three-run homer. It spoiled the clean finish, but not the larger picture of Buehler’s afternoon or his recent run.
The right-hander has made 31 starts and thrown 150 innings for the Padres this season, providing needed stability in the rotation. Since the All-Star break, he has posted a 3.39 ERA, a stretch that has strengthened his case for a place in San Diego’s postseason starting plans.
Tatis keeps carrying the second-half offense
Tatis added a key insurance run with his 25th homer of the year, a seventh-inning drive that left his bat at 111.1 mph and landed in the Padres’ bullpen in center field. Setup man Bradgley Rodriguez caught the ball in his glove.
It was another reminder of how much Tatis’ season has changed since the spring. He did not hit his first home run until May 30, yet 20 of his 25 have come after the All-Star break. As his power has arrived, so has the broader surge from the San Diego lineup.
The rotation next
Buehler’s next assignment has not been announced, but his Sunday start offered the kind of October-shaped performance the Padres will want to see again: six scoreless innings, limited traffic and a starter capable of handing a lead to a deep bullpen.
