Petco Park got its October rehearsal Saturday night, and the Padres left it with a 10-7 win over Arizona, a third consecutive 90-win season and home-field advantage for another National League Wild Card Series date with the Cubs.
Chicago returns to San Diego
The Padres and Cubs will meet in the Wild Card Series for the second postseason in a row, but this time the games will be played in San Diego. Chicago became the confirmed opponent after Tampa Bay defeated Philadelphia earlier Saturday, while the Padres still needed to beat the Diamondbacks to secure the home park for the opening round.
Game 1 is scheduled for Tuesday at Petco Park, where the sellout crowd already supplied much of the October atmosphere. Gold rally towels were handed out around the ballpark, and the building was full well before the late innings.
- San Diego defeated Arizona, 10-7, on Saturday night.
- The victory delivered the Padres’ third straight season with at least 90 wins.
- The Cubs are headed to Petco Park for the National League Wild Card Series.
- Michael King has been selected to start Game 1 for San Diego.
Machado swings the game
The Padres were down a run in the fourth inning when Manny Machado changed the tone. He drove a three-run homer to the opposite field, his 30th long ball of the year, and San Diego took control from there.
It was Machado’s eighth season with 30 or more home runs and his fourth in a Padres uniform. That draws him even with Adrián González for the most 30-homer seasons in franchise history.
The blast also brought Machado to 399 career homers. Mike Piazza remains the only player to hit his 400th career home run while wearing a Padres uniform, doing so in 2006. Machado now stands one swing from joining that small bit of club history.
The bullpen carried the middle innings
Manager Craig Stammen turned to his relief corps early, a choice that could offer a glimpse of how San Diego intends to manage a short postseason series. The bullpen largely answered the call, keeping the Diamondbacks from building on their early edge.
Mason Miller had an unusual ninth inning, allowing three runs, but the Padres had created enough room by then. Their offense repeatedly took advantage when Arizona gave it an opening, and the late damage did not change the outcome.
It was the sort of game that could resemble October baseball at Petco: an early pitching change, a deep bullpen working through the middle of the game, a timely power swing and a crowd pressing every inning forward.
Buehler’s October role remains unsettled
Walker Buehler made his 32nd and final regular-season start Saturday, allowing four runs, three earned, over 3 2/3 innings. It was not his sharpest outing, though his work across the season helped steady a Padres rotation that needed reliability.
Buehler finished with a 4.63 ERA, a number that does not fully reflect his year. Apart from a couple of difficult outings in early July, he was a dependable starter for much of the schedule.
Now comes the harder question: how, and when, will San Diego use him in the playoffs?
- King is set for the Wild Card Series opener.
- Nick Pivetta is lined up to start one of the games, though the club has not formally identified which one.
- If a Game 3 is needed, the choice could come down to Buehler or Robbie Ray.
- Buehler has been hit hard by the Cubs this season.
- Ray threw five scoreless innings against Chicago on June 5 while pitching for the Giants, and his left-handed profile could be useful against the left-handed hitters near the top of the Cubs lineup.
The Game 1 and Game 2 results will naturally shape every later decision. Still, Buehler has earned a place in the Padres’ postseason plans, whether that means a possible Wild Card Game 3 assignment or a start in the NLDS should San Diego advance.
