<img alt="San Diego Padres v Los Angeles Dodgers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pHsatcMr4iKYRGkW9b4K3DfcaoY=/0x0:4425x2950/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73609484/2174357225.0.jpg">
Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images
Braves pull within a half-game of a playoff spot, but weather will lead to temporary chaos for the race It was a great day in the standings for the Braves, as pretty much everything that could’ve gone right did.
The Braves beat the Mets, a one-down-five-to-go sort of thing.
The Giants absolutely obliterated the Diamondbacks, nudging the Braves to within half a game of a playoff spot given that they hold the tiebreaker over the Snakes.
The Padres beat the Dodgers, which helps give them something to play for during the last series of the season against Arizona.
The Phillies lost and the Brewers won, which might give extra motivation, however slim, for the Brewers to try during their last scheduled series against the Mets.
Of course, the meteorological elephant in the room is arguably going to be even more impactful: with potential Hurrricane Helene bearing down on the southeastern U.S., what exactly is going to happen to the next handful of games scheduled to be played in Atlanta is up in the humid, turbulent air. There’s only one off-day between the end of the scheduled regular season and the beginning of the Wild Card round, and if that ends up being taken up by a doubleheader, well... let’s just say, MLB is certainly getting the chaotic finish it wanted after a couple of years of very limited drama as the regular season drew to a close.
San Francisco Giants (79-79) 11, Arizona Diamondbacks (87-71) 0
Box Score | Savant | Condensed Game
The Diamondbacks have now dropped three straight in pretty ignominious fashion: blowing a huge lead to the Brewers, then losing a pretty “normal” game that included an inside-the-park homer to the Giants, and now getting absolutely demolished. Patrick Bailey homered off Brandon Pfaadt in the second, and Michael Conforto added a three-run shot in the third. With Pfaadt getting pulled briefly after that second blast, the Giants then heaped another three-run homer on the board, and coasted from there, as Logan Webb and the defense combined for six scoreless innings despite Webb’s low 3/1 K/BB ratio.
San Diego Padres (91-66) 4, Los Angeles Dodgers (93-64) 2
Box Score | Savant | Condensed Game
The Padres are making a last-ditch effort to chase down the Dodgers in the NL West, and are now 8-3 against their up-the-coast rivals on the season. They pulled within two games with an exciting win that had, of all things, a triple play turned to end the game in the ninth.
After falling behind thanks to an error, the Padres immediately got on top thanks to a two-run shot by Jake Cronenworth. San Diego starter Michael King escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second by striking out Mookie Betts, and his team extended the lead to 4-1 with a two-out rally in the fourth. King retired ten straight after a rocky start and then gave way to the bullpen, which scattered a few hits but didn’t get into hot water until the ninth.
The Dodgers got three straight hits against Robert Suarez to start the ninth, which was their first frame with multiple hits since the first inning. The last of those hits brought them within two runs and brought the go-ahead run to the plate... but Miguel Rojas did the unthinkable in terms of hitting into a triple play, and the Padres now have about a 17 percent shot to take the division. Fun stuff.
In all the commotion from yesterday, the big impact was the Diamondbacks losing a bunch of playoff odds, actually falling behind the Braves in that regard despite their half-game lead. The Mets’ playoff odds barely budged due to the loss, thanks to their current fifth-seed position. Anyway, stay tuned for weather-related “excitement!”
Padres 91-66, +4.5, 100.0% Playoff Odds (—)
Mets 87-70, +0.5, 77.5% Playoff Odds (-2.7%)
Diamondbacks 87-71, —, 52.9% Playoff Odds (-20.0%)
Braves 86-71, -0.5, 69.6% Playoff Odds (+22.7%)
<img alt="San Diego Padres v Los Angeles Dodgers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pHsatcMr4iKYRGkW9b4K3DfcaoY=/0x0:4425x2950/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73609484/2174357225.0.jpg">
Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images
Braves pull within a half-game of a playoff spot, but weather will lead to temporary chaos for the race It was a great day in the standings for the Braves, as pretty much everything that could’ve gone right did.
The Braves beat the Mets, a one-down-five-to-go sort of thing.
The Giants absolutely obliterated the Diamondbacks, nudging the Braves to within half a game of a playoff spot given that they hold the tiebreaker over the Snakes.
The Padres beat the Dodgers, which helps give them something to play for during the last series of the season against Arizona.
The Phillies lost and the Brewers won, which might give extra motivation, however slim, for the Brewers to try during their last scheduled series against the Mets.
Of course, the meteorological elephant in the room is arguably going to be even more impactful: with potential Hurrricane Helene bearing down on the southeastern U.S., what exactly is going to happen to the next handful of games scheduled to be played in Atlanta is up in the humid, turbulent air. There’s only one off-day between the end of the scheduled regular season and the beginning of the Wild Card round, and if that ends up being taken up by a doubleheader, well... let’s just say, MLB is certainly getting the chaotic finish it wanted after a couple of years of very limited drama as the regular season drew to a close.
San Francisco Giants (79-79) 11, Arizona Diamondbacks (87-71) 0
Box Score | Savant | Condensed Game
The Diamondbacks have now dropped three straight in pretty ignominious fashion: blowing a huge lead to the Brewers, then losing a pretty “normal” game that included an inside-the-park homer to the Giants, and now getting absolutely demolished. Patrick Bailey homered off Brandon Pfaadt in the second, and Michael Conforto added a three-run shot in the third. With Pfaadt getting pulled briefly after that second blast, the Giants then heaped another three-run homer on the board, and coasted from there, as Logan Webb and the defense combined for six scoreless innings despite Webb’s low 3/1 K/BB ratio.
San Diego Padres (91-66) 4, Los Angeles Dodgers (93-64) 2
Box Score | Savant | Condensed Game
The Padres are making a last-ditch effort to chase down the Dodgers in the NL West, and are now 8-3 against their up-the-coast rivals on the season. They pulled within two games with an exciting win that had, of all things, a triple play turned to end the game in the ninth.
After falling behind thanks to an error, the Padres immediately got on top thanks to a two-run shot by Jake Cronenworth. San Diego starter Michael King escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second by striking out Mookie Betts, and his team extended the lead to 4-1 with a two-out rally in the fourth. King retired ten straight after a rocky start and then gave way to the bullpen, which scattered a few hits but didn’t get into hot water until the ninth.
The Dodgers got three straight hits against Robert Suarez to start the ninth, which was their first frame with multiple hits since the first inning. The last of those hits brought them within two runs and brought the go-ahead run to the plate... but Miguel Rojas did the unthinkable in terms of hitting into a triple play, and the Padres now have about a 17 percent shot to take the division. Fun stuff.
In all the commotion from yesterday, the big impact was the Diamondbacks losing a bunch of playoff odds, actually falling behind the Braves in that regard despite their half-game lead. The Mets’ playoff odds barely budged due to the loss, thanks to their current fifth-seed position. Anyway, stay tuned for weather-related “excitement!”
Padres 91-66, +4.5, 100.0% Playoff Odds (—)
Mets 87-70, +0.5, 77.5% Playoff Odds (-2.7%)
Diamondbacks 87-71, —, 52.9% Playoff Odds (-20.0%)
Braves 86-71, -0.5, 69.6% Playoff Odds (+22.7%)
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