Sports

Padres beat Dodgers 5–1, move within one win of postseason berth

Manny Machado homered and drove in three runs as San Diego took the lead in the National League wild-card race.

Image credit: D. Benjamin Miller / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0; archival 2022 Padres postseason photo, not Wednesday’s game

MLB.com reported that the Padres defeated the Dodgers 5–1 at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night. Machado hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning and added a sacrifice fly in the fifth. San Diego’s bullpen worked 5⅔ scoreless innings after starter Robbie Ray left in the fourth. The win put the Padres one victory—or one Arizona loss—from securing their third consecutive postseason appearance.

What it means locally

The result gave San Diego a one-game lead over both Chicago and Philadelphia for the top National League wild-card position. Holding that spot would allow the Padres to host a Wild Card Series at Petco Park, where MLB.com reported they were 49–29 this season.

The postseason berth was not yet clinched when MLB.com published its report at 7 a.m. UTC on September 24. San Diego could qualify later Thursday with a win over Los Angeles or an Arizona loss at Colorado. The accompanying photo is from the 2022 Wild Card Series and is clearly labeled as archival.

Full report and further details: Read original report →