The San Diego Padres secured the No. 4 spot in the National League bracket after beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3 on Friday night. Luis Arraez’s impressive hitting, including two doubles and a triple, contributed to the Padres’ victory. Yu Darvish pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits.
The Diamondbacks, who have lost four of their last five games, are in a tight race for the final two NL wild card spots with the Mets and Braves. Arraez is currently leading the NL batting title race, trying to hold off Shohei Ohtani and Marcell Ozuna.
The Padres jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, with Manny Machado and rookie Jackson Merrill contributing RBI singles. Merrill Kelly struggled on the mound for the Diamondbacks, giving up five runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings.
The D-backs tried to rally in the ninth inning but fell short, with Robert Suarez securing the save for the Padres. Both teams will face off again in the second game of the series on Saturday, with starting pitchers yet to be announced.
This win puts the Padres in a good position as they head into the postseason next week, hosting a best-of-three Wild Card Series in San Diego. The Diamondbacks will need to bounce back in order to stay in the race for the wild card spots.
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Photo credit wtop.com
