SAN FRANCISCO -- The Padres rolled into San Francisco red hot.
They left the Bay Area even hotter.
After riding timely hits and their stellar bullpen to a pair of close victories in the first two games, that was the recipe again in Sunday’s 6-4 win after the Padres came out and blitzed Giants ace Logan Webb for five runs across the first two frames.
San Diego wrapped up a weekend sweep in extending its winning streak to seven games, ending the night in sole possession of the third National League Wild Card spot, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Diamondbacks and just 1 1/2 games behind the Phillies and Cubs atop the Wild Card standings.
Jackson Merrill fell a few feet short of a grand slam in the first, settling for a two-run double. Fernando Tatis Jr. singled home Samad Taylor in the second and scored on Manny Machado’s 27th home run, which settled deep into the left-field seats.
This early offense backed Nick Pivetta, who was lifted after four innings and 69 pitches, limiting the Giants to five hits and two runs with five strikeouts. Pivetta was making just his sixth start of the season after a lengthy stint on the injured list due to a flexor strain in his right elbow.
Along the way, top prospect Ethan Salas tripled for his first Major League hit, leading to a fourth-inning run that proved important when the Giants picked up a pair of their own in the fifth and sixth, both charged to lefty Kyle Hart.
A trio of relievers navigated the latter third of the game to get it to the finish line: Wandy Peralta fired 1 1/3 scoreless before Randy Vásquez got into and out of trouble with two walks in the eighth. Left-hander Yuki Matsui navigated the ninth to close things out.