LOS ANGELES -- The Padres didn’t clinch on Wednesday night. But they might not even need to take the field on Thursday before they do.
San Diego moved one step from securing its place in the postseason with a 5-1 victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium. A win in Los Angeles on Thursday -- or a loss by the Diamondbacks in Colorado -- would send the Padres back to the postseason for a third straight season.
At this rate, they might even get to start those playoffs at home, too.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got to take care of our business,” said Manny Machado, whose two-run homer put the Padres in front. “We’ve got to win big ballgames.”
Just like they did on Wednesday. Here are some takeaways from Dodger Stadium, after a Padres victory with major playoff implications:
So close, they can taste it …
Seven hours before first pitch in L.A. on Thursday night, the Diamondbacks are slated to begin their series finale in Colorado. So … sometime around the start of batting practice Thursday afternoon, the Padres will know whether they’ve clinched a postseason spot.
If they haven't? It’s all pretty straightforward: They would need to win just one of their four remaining games -- against the Dodgers on Thursday, or any of their three games against Arizona over the weekend at Petco Park.
The sooner, the better, of course. Once the Padres clinch, they can start lining up their playoff rotation and lightening the workload of some of their high-leverage relievers.
Plus, they’re playing for more than just a spot in the postseason. After losses by both the Cubs and Phillies on Wednesday, San Diego now holds a one-game lead on both in the race for the top NL Wild Card spot.
The margin is as narrow as it could possibly be. The Padres have already lost both tiebreakers. But as long as they can stay ahead of both, they’ll host a Wild Card Series at Petco Park -- where they’re 49-29 this season. Game 1 is on Tuesday.
“Yeah, definitely, we would like to play in front of our home crowd and bring that Wild Card home to San Diego,” Machado said.
Manny sets the tone
Machado’s 29th home run of the season was also the 29th of his career against the Dodgers, more than he’s hit against any other team. It was a big one.
“We needed it,” said manager Craig Stammen. “We hadn’t scored in a while, and it kind of broke the ice.”
The Padres had been shut out on Tuesday night in Game 1. They were facing Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has given them nightmares in the past.
Then, Machado barrelled up a Yamamoto sinker running onto the inside corner. He launched it a Statcast-projected 409 feet to straightaway center field. The Padres’ dugout erupted, and Machado thumped his chest as he rounded first base.
It was a statement swing. The Padres have been baseball’s hottest team this month. They’d won 13 of 14 entering this series. But they’d mostly been feasting on inferior opponents. Could they do it against a playoff-caliber club?
Yes, they absolutely could.
Morgan’s moment
These are big games -- and Stammen is managing like it.
With one out and the bases loaded in the fourth inning on Wednesday night, Stammen lifted starter Robbie Ray, who hadn’t allowed a run and had mostly looked sharp.
Still, righty David Morgan was the better matchup for Tommy Edman and Mookie Betts. But there was a catch: If Morgan didn’t get both Edman and Betts, he’d have to deal with Shohei Ohtani.
“At this point in the year, every inning is a leverage opportunity,” Morgan said. “That felt like a big spot.”
Morgan got Edman to fly out (a sacrifice fly, plating the Dodgers’ first run). But he walked Betts and had to deal with Ohtani. Then came the drama.
Morgan fell behind 3-1, then threw a fastball that was ruled ball four. Ohtani began to walk toward first base, and the scoreboard showed a tie game. But rookie catcher Ethan Salas, understanding the moment, had challenged the pitch. Turns out, that fastball had clipped the very top of the zone. Strike two.
“I mean, if that ball’s half a hair higher and it’s a ball, it’s still a good challenge in that situation,” Salas said. “I’m confident in winning or losing it right there.”
After two foul balls, Morgan pumped a 98 mph sinker past Ohtani and hopped off the mound with the Padres’ one-run lead still intact. They would tack on two more in the top of the fifth -- and got 5 2/3 scoreless innings from their lights-out bullpen.
A couple big swings? An early hook and a heavy reliance on the bullpen? Come playoff time, this is almost certainly what it’ll look like.
And the Padres are just about there.