Tatís homers again, and the Padres warm up for the postseason with a 5-1 win over Diamondbacks
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatís Jr. homered in his third consecutive game, Xander Bogaerts and Elías Díaz added two-run homers, and the San Diego Padres rolled toward the postseason with a 5-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night.
Several hours before the first pitch, the Padres (89-72) lost their chance for homefield advantage in next week’s NL wild card series against the Cubs when Chicago beat St. Louis for its 91st win.
The Padres still won for the sixth time in seven games, building momentum as they head into their second straight postseason appearance.
Tatís hit a solo shot on the second pitch of the night by Eduardo Rodriguez (9-9), delivering his fifth leadoff homer of the season. The San Diego star hit a grand slam Friday when he returned from a three-game illness absence in preparation for his third career trip to the playoffs.
Geraldo Perdomo hit his career-best 20th homer for the Diamondbacks, who were eliminated from postseason contention Friday. He has a career-high 99 RBIs.
Padres starter Michael King threw only 49 pitches before leaving during the third inning. Manager Mike Shildt said he would manage his starters this weekend to maximize their readiness for Chicago, when all five are expected to be on the series roster.
Díaz hit a two-run homer in the second, with all three Padres shots off Rodriguez going out to left.
Díaz, the Padres’ backup catcher, then left the game in the middle of his at-bat in the fourth after appearing to injure himself on a swing. Shildt said Díaz injured his oblique muscles, but the team is optimistic it isn’t serious.
Perdomo homered in the fifth off Yuki Matsui (3-1), adding another landmark to his breakout season.
Key moment
Bogaerts added a two-run shot two batters after Tatís connected. Bogaerts hadn’t homered since Aug. 9, and he only returned to the lineup this week after missing four weeks with a broken left foot.
Key stat
Perdomo extended his on-base streak to a career-best 16 games.
Up next
Brandon Pfaadt (13-8, 5.00 ERA) pitches for the Diamondbacks on Sunday. JP Sears (1-2, 6.16) starts for the Padres, and fifth starter Randy Vásquez is also expected to pitch.
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