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, as 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’s some instant reaction from Friday’s Padres victory:
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.
It was an early statement from the San Diego offense. 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.
That gave them just enough of a cushion to withstand a Giants rally, featuring a Rafael Devers grand slam.
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.
Ray labored but picked up the win
Robbie 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.
He picked up the win. (Which is the important part, after all.)
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.
Still, even after surrendering the grand slam with nobody out in the fifth, Ray remained in the game, and he finished his night by retiring the next three hitters.