SAN DIEGO — Kyle Higashioka’s solo homer began a five-run rally towards Max Fried with two outs within the second inning, and the San Diego Padres held on to comb the Atlanta Braves with a 5-4 win in Recreation 2 of their NL Wild Card Sequence on Wednesday night time.
Manny Machado added a two-run double with the bases loaded and Jackson Merrill, a prime contender for NL Rookie of the 12 months, adopted with a two-run triple because the sellout crowd of 47,705 – the biggest in Petco Park historical past – roared.
The Padres, who would like to win a World Sequence title in reminiscence of late proprietor Peter Seidler, head up Interstate 5 to face Shohei Ohtani and the NL West rival and top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers in a Nationwide League Division Sequence starting Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.
San Diego eradicated the 111-win Dodgers in a 2022 NLDS.
Robert Suarez pitched an ideal ninth for the save. As quickly as pinch-hitter Travis d’Arnaud’s foul pop settled into Higashioka’s mitt for the ultimate out, the gang began chanting “Beat L.A.!”
Fried and Padres starter Joe Musgrove exited early with obvious accidents. Fried left after the second inning. He was hit on the left hip by a ball off the bat of Fernando Tatis Jr. two batters into his outing. Musgrove left with two outs within the fourth after throwing two sluggish curveballs to Matt Olson.
After the Padres took a 5-1 lead within the second, Jorge Soler hit a solo homer within the fifth and Michael Harris II had a two-run shot within the eighth.
Fried, who took the loss, received out of a bases-loaded jam within the first. He then allowed 5 runs on six straight hits with two outs within the second. Dylan Lee took over to start out the third.
Musgrove threw two sluggish curves to fall behind Olson 2-1 with two outs within the fourth and was visited by pitching coach Ruben Niebla. Padres supervisor Mike Shildt and an athletic coach joined them, and Musgrove got here out.
Musgrove, who grew up in suburban El Cajon, had two stints on the injured listing with proper elbow irritation this season, costing him a complete of 63 video games. His second stint sidelined him for two 1/2 months.
Higashioka turned the primary Padres catcher to homer in consecutive playoff video games. He hit a solo shot in a 4-0 win on Tuesday night time. He additionally homered for the New York Yankees at Petco Park within the 2020 AL playoff bubble, towards Tampa Bay in a Division Sequence recreation. He was obtained together with right-hander Michael King within the blockbuster commerce that despatched Juan Soto to the Yankees on Dec. 7. Higashioka began the season because the backup however finally turned the starter.
Musgrove fell behind 1-0 after simply three batters. Marcell Ozuna’s sacrifice fly introduced in Harris, who doubled into the right-field nook on Musgrove’s first pitch and superior on Ozzie Albies’ groundout.
After the homer by No. 9 hitter Higashioka, singles by NL batting champ Luis Arraez, Tatis and Jurickson Profar loaded the bases. Machado introduced in two runs together with his double to left, and Merrill tripled to middle.
Soler homered to straightaway middle main off the fifth towards Bryan Hoeing, who received the win. Harris homered off Jason Adam.
