Padres surge past Marlins, strengthen grip on postseason spot

Jeff Sanders, The San Diego Union-Tribune on Sep 19, 2026

Published in Baseball

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SAN DIEGO — Nick Pivetta paid for one mistake Friday. It was hardly enough to weigh down the surging San Diego Padres.

The 33-year-old right-hander turned in five solid innings in his third start off the injured list, Ty France hit his career-best 21st homer and an 8-2 win over the Miami Marlins in front of a sellout crowd of 42,765 at Petco Park strengthened the Padres’ grip on a postseason spot.

In fact, the biggest question right now isn’t if the Padres will secure a wild-card spot.

It’s: Can they win enough to secure home games for the NL Wild Card Series?

After all, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ loss to the New York Yankees dropped them five games behind the Padres with eight games left in the season, while the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies losses on Friday left the NL’s three wild-card combatants with identical 85-69 records.

The Padres lost both season series to the Cubs and Phillies, so they have to finish ahead of them to secure the NL’s top wild-card spot.

But they’ve won 12 of their last 14 games at a time when the Cubs and Phillies have lost six of 10.

France’s 21st homer punctuated a six-run fifth inning that seized control of the game after Marlins starter Tyler Phillips (32/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 Ks) was out of the game.

Xander Bogaerts doubled off reliever Cade Gibson to start the fifth, Jake Cronenworth followed with a single and Samad Taylor loaded the bases with a bunt.

Then Fernando Tatis Jr. tied the game with a single to right, Dustin Harris drove in two with a single that caromed off the mound and France pulled a ball off reliever Tyler Zuber into the second deck of the Western Metal Supply Co. building.

Just like that, a 1-0 deficit turned into a 6-1 lead. Jackson Merrill’s 26th homer in a two-run eighth added some insurance after David Morgan coughed up a run a half-inning earlier.

Pivetta was making his third start since returning from the flexor injury that sidelined him four months. He threw five shutout innings in his return on Sept. 7, four innings of two-run ball last weekend in San Francisco and on Friday struck out four while allowing just one run on four hits and a walk over five innings.

His command coming off the injured list had been especially on point as his second-inning walk to former Padres prospect Jakob Marsee was the first free pass he’d issued this month.

Pivetta stranded that mistake by striking out former Padres prospect Xavier Edwards to end the second inning.

But Pivetta left a 93 mph four-seamer over the middle inside of the plate to Agustin Ramirez in the third inning and he yanked it over the wall in left on a 113-mph line.

All three runs that Pivetta had given up since his return had come via the long ball as he gave up a two-run homer in San Francisco on Sunday before exiting after four innings.

Wandy Peralta followed Pivetta with 11/3 scoreless innings, Morgan allowed a run over 11/3 innings and Adrián Morejón struck out the only batter he faced in the eighth.

Griffin Canning pitched the ninth after the Padres rallied for two insurance runs.