Padres move closer to postseason even as they drop another series to Dodgers

Developments within the Midwest went the Padres’ manner Thursday.

A playoff berth is creeping up on them.

However the plastic and champagne and goggles will stay in storage at the very least yet one more day, because the Padres couldn’t beat the staff they are going to ultimately must win a collection in opposition to if their season is to be really profitable.

The Dodgers beat the Padres 5-2 Thursday night time at Petco Park, taking their ninth consecutive collection between the groups and laying aside any celebration within the dwelling clubhouse till at the very least Saturday.

Earlier than play started in San Diego, the Phillies misplaced in Chicago, dropping the Padres’ magic quantity to clinch the No. 5 seed within the Nationwide league playoffs to 5. And because the Padres batted within the second inning, the Brewers’ loss at dwelling to the Marlins wrapped up, trimming the Padres’ magic quantity to clinch a playoff spot to a few.

A victory Thursday would have meant the Padres might have secured a postseason berth in the event that they beat the White Sox and the Brewers misplaced to the Marlins on Friday. Now the Padres nonetheless want a mixture of wins and Brewers’ losses so as to add as much as three.

The Phillies lead the Brewers by a half-game and have yet one more recreation to play than the Padres and Brewers. Any mixture of Padres’ wins and Phillies’ losses including as much as 5 means the Padres earn the fifth of six NL playoff spots.

The Padres have six video games remaining — three in opposition to the White Sox, who’ve been eradicated from playoff rivalry, and three in opposition to the Giants, who’ve solely the slimmest probability of creating the postseason even when they win out.

With a watch on lining up Yu Darvish to pitch the primary playoff recreation, the Padres determined to push their ace’s begin again a day to Friday and go together with a bullpen recreation Thursday in opposition to the Dodgers, who primarily used relievers to get by 9 innings as properly.

The Padres additionally began Brandon Dixon, a 30-year-old referred to as up from Triple-A on Tuesday, as their designated hitter. Dixon final performed within the main leagues in 2020, when he went 1-for-13 with the Cubs.

The bullpen faltered. Dixon was 0-for-4, together with his fly ball out to middle subject with two on within the eighth inning. The Padres had been 1-for-9 with runners in scoring place.

They took a 2-0 lead within the first inning in opposition to Dodgers opener Brusdar Graterol and didn’t rating once more.

“We performed good,” Jurickson Profar mentioned. “However there have been some conditions that we didn’t capitalize. … To beat these guys, I believe you gotta add on. And we had alternatives so as to add on.”

Profar’s flare to proper subject and Juan Soto’s broken-bat chopper to 3rd base, neither off the bat at even 68 mph, started the underside of the primary for the Padres. Two outs later, Brandon Drury despatched a grounder up the center that appeared it will finish the inning however as a substitute scooted below shortstop Trea Turner’s glove and rolled into left subject as each runners scampered dwelling.

Steven Wilson, making his first profession “begin,” took 12 pitches to get by the primary inning.

Sean Manaea, faraway from his spot as a fulltime starter earlier this month partially due to his struggles in opposition to the Dodgers, entered within the second inning.

Will Smith greeted Manaea with a tough single, and Manaea’s subsequent pitch was a slider that grazed Max Muncy’s sleeve. On a grounder by Chris Taylor that seemed to supply shortstop Ha-Seong Kim an opportunity to pressure Smith at third base, Kim as a substitute selected to attempt to begin a double play and threw to second to pressure Muncy. Jake Cronenworth’s relay to first was nowhere close to in time to get the fleet Taylor. Smith scored when the subsequent batter, Miguel Vargas, hit a sacrifice fly to left earlier than Manaea ended the inning by getting Austin Barnes on a fly ball to proper subject.

Manaea, who had thrown a scoreless inning of reduction in opposition to the Dodgers on Sept. 10 however allowed them 23 runs (22 earned) over 12 2/3 innings in his three begins in opposition to them this season, would get by the remainder of his 4 innings unscathed.

The Dodgers scored three runs within the sixth inning in opposition to Pierce Johnson, who had not allowed a success in his six appearances since getting back from the injured checklist earlier this month.

Mookie Betts started the inning with a doubled lined to left subject. He went to 3rd on one other chopped infield single by Turner and scored on a flare to left subject by Freddie Freeman. Johnson struck out Smith earlier than strolling Muncy to load the bases. Taylor then broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run single.

Smith’s homer off Adrian Morejon within the eighth inning was the ultimate run.

The Dodgers’ “bulk” pitcher, Andrew Heaney, labored out of a bases-loaded jam by hanging out Manny Machado to finish the second inning and labored by the fifth. Craig Kimbrel adopted with a scoreless sixth. After changing Caleb Ferguson with two outs and two on, Chris Martin struck out Machado to finish the seventh. Machado, who had additionally flied out within the first with runners at first and second, grounded out to finish the sport with a runner on first base. He doubled with one out within the fifth however left a complete of eight runners on base.

The Padres appear destined to open the playoffs with a best-of-three collection in Atlanta or New York, whichever finishes second within the NL East. Ought to they win that collection, they might then face the Dodgers, who gained 14 of the 19 video games they performed this season.

“I hope we do,” supervisor Bob Melvin mentioned. “I imply, this collection we felt good about each recreation. So I believe as this season went alongside and bringing within the gamers that we introduced in, it didn’t really feel like the place perhaps early within the season, perhaps a bit bit extra overmatched. I don’t assume that’s the case. You understand, they beat us two out of three right here once more, they beat us each collection, however I don’t get the sense that if we performed them once more that we wouldn’t really feel assured taking part in.”