Padres' relentless offense survives tense finish for 5th straight win

The Padres maintained their half-game edge in the National League Wild Card race, beating the Giants, 7-5, on Friday night at Oracle Park.

It was the Padres’ fifth straight win. They continue not only to hold off the Diamondbacks -- who beat Texas on Friday -- but chase down the teams ahead of them in the Wild Card race. The Phillies and Cubs, who currently occupy the fourth and fifth seeds in the NL, sit only 2 1/2 games ahead of San Diego.

Here are some takeaways from Friday’s Padres victory:

A little too close for comfort

The Padres came out swinging. Their offense was on fire from the start. They led 7-1 after three innings.

So it qualifies as some level of disappointment that they used all four of their highest leverage relievers on Friday night. Starter Robbie Ray surrendered Rafael Devers’ grand slam in the fifth, turning a blowout into a tense affair.

Credit the Padres’ bullpen though. Yuki Matsui, Adrian Morejon and Bradgley Rodriguez combined to allow just one hit, covering innings six through eight. That set the stage for Mason Miller in the ninth.

Miller got two quick outs, and then … he walked pinch-hitter Nate Furman. Jonah Cox dropped down a bunt single. He pitched carefully to Devers, and walked him, too. The tying and winning runs were on base.

But -- as usual -- Miller had an answer. He punched out Bryce Eldridge with a pristine 102.8 mph fastball at the knees, sealing the victory.

“A little bit more tense in the end than what we wanted,” said manager Craig Stammen. “But that’s why it’s nice to have Mason Miller on the mound at the end.”

This looked like a complete offense

The Padres didn’t have Ty France, who was placed on the paternity list on Friday. Manny Machado went hitless. Fernando Tatis Jr. didn’t join the party until his eighth-inning triple.

The team still combined for seven runs on 12 hits, seven of which went for extra bases.

“Kept hitting line drives,” Stammen said. “Big start to the game on offense for us.”

It was an early statement. Jackson Merrill stayed red-hot with three hits. Dustin Harris and Freddy Fermin had two apiece. They were relentless during a two-run second and a five-run third.

“There’s a lot of chemistry in that clubhouse,” Merrill told the Apple TV broadcast. “It’s just fun to be on the field with them and compete every day.”

Harris is making a serious difference

When Gavin Sheets landed on the injured list, it was never entirely clear who might be able to carry that load. Sheets was a hugely important part of this roster construction. He was a regular starter against right-handed pitching and an excellent pinch-hitting weapon off the bench.

Enter Harris. What a find. He’d spent time in both the Astros and White Sox organizations this season. In early July, after he was released, Harris signed a Minor League deal with the Padres. And then, he wouldn’t stop hitting.

Eventually, Harris earned a promotion. And he still hasn’t stopped hitting. Harris reached base three times -- a single, a triple and a walk. He’s hitting .367 with an .873 OPS in 13 games since his callup.

He’s played left. He’s DH-ed. He’s come off the bench to pinch-hit. He’s been just about everything the Padres could have asked for.

“He was swinging a super hot bat for a long time, and we were kind of dragging our feet with calling him up,” Stammen said. “And we did. It’s definitely paid off.”

Ray labored but picked win No. 100

The Padres won, and Ray picked up win No. 100 of his career. That's the important part.

Still, Ray hasn’t quite been able to put it all together since his arrival. He’s posted a 5.35 ERA in seven starts with the Padres. Nobody has walked more hitters than Ray this season, but he was so often able to pitch around those walks with the Giants. With the Padres -- and particularly on Friday -- they came back to bite him.

Ray made 11 starts as a Giant at Oracle Park this season. He allowed five runs only once.

In his first start back in San Francisco -- after the Padres landed him in a Deadline day trade -- Ray allowed five runs across five up-and-down innings. He walked four and surrendered the grand slam to Devers in the fifth.

“Robbie, it was a mixed bag a little bit, again,” Stammen said. “The four walks came back to haunt him. … He’d like a few pitches back. More importantly, he’d like a few batters back where he could attack the zone a little bit more and try to avoid that situation [against Devers].”