Padres 3-2 Nationals: Merrill and a returning Pivetta keep San Diego in the wild-card chase
Two RBI singles from Jackson Merrill and five shutout innings from Nick Pivetta, back off the injured list, were just enough to hold off Washington at Petco Park.
With three weeks left in the season and the Padres locked in a fight for the National League's last wild-card spot, Monday's 3-2 win over Washington was the kind of game September demands: no margin, no drama wasted.
How it happened
San Diego did all of its scoring early. Jackson Merrill singled home Manny Machado in the first, and the third inning brought two more — Machado singling in Fernando Tatis Jr., then Merrill driving in Machado for a 3-0 lead, according to CBS Sports' box score.
The real story was on the mound. Nick Pivetta, making his return from a lengthy injured-list stint, gave the Padres five shutout innings on just 63 pitches, allowing two hits with no walks. Washington's only answer came in the sixth, when Dylan Crews hit a two-run homer — his 11th of the season, a career high, per MLB.com.
The turning point
From there it became a bullpen game, and the eighth inning was the hinge: with Washington threatening, Crews bounced into a double play that killed the rally. Mason Miller closed the ninth with two strikeouts for his 34th save.
What it means
For San Diego, every win right now is measured against Arizona. The Diamondbacks also won Monday, so the Padres stayed a half-game back in the race for the NL's third wild card — the Phillies and Cubs hold the top two spots. The Padres pressed the point Tuesday with a 5-4 win in the same series to reach 77-68.
For the Nationals, Monday was a fifth straight defeat, as The Washington Post noted, in a season long since reduced to evaluating the young core. On that front, at least, Crews' power surge counts for something.