The San Diego Padres just barely dodged a full-on collapse, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 on Wednesday! Seriously, this was huge. They were staring down a three-game sweep and needed something special, and boy, did they get it. This win was critical because it kept them firmly in possession of the National League’s third wild-card spot, one game ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Talk about high stakes baseball!
Merrill Went Off, and Vásquez Stepped Up
You gotta hand it to Jackson Merrill. The guy was absolutely everywhere, pulling off a performance that screamed “I am not letting us get swept!” He doubled to right in the second inning, eventually scoring on a Luis Rengifo single. Then, in the fourth, with Manny Machado on base after a throwing error, Merrill absolutely blasted a triple to the right-field wall! Machado came all the way around, sliding in headfirst and barely tagging the plate. That run, driven in by Merrill, was pure grit. Later, he even drew an 11-pitch walk with two outs to load the bases, showing incredible plate discipline before Jase Bowen unfortunately flew out. This kid was a one-man wrecking crew, making plays when the team needed them most.
But let’s not forget Randy Vásquez! This guy was straight-up dealing, snagging his tenth victory of the season. Think about that: ten wins! His previous high was six wins in 2025, so he’s seriously leveled up this year. He retired his first nine batters in a row, then got himself into a bit of a jam in the fourth, loading the bases with two outs. But he stayed cool, striking out Nick Gonzales to end the threat, thanks to catcher Freddy Fermin challenging a ball call that got overturned by the ABS system. Vásquez held the Pirates to just one hit over five innings, racking up two strikeouts and walking two. He’s been on fire lately, too, with four wins and no losses in his last five starts. The bullpen came in clutch after that, with Griffin Canning getting out of a bases-loaded situation in the seventh, and Bradgley Rodriguez locking it down for his second save by pitching the final two innings. It was their tenth shutout of the season, a testament to how locked in the pitching staff can be.
Pirates Couldn’t Buy a Run
Look, the Pirates tried, bless their hearts. They managed to strand a ridiculous ten runners on base and were a dismal 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position. You just can’t win games like that, especially against a team fighting for a wild-card spot. Bubba Chandler for the Pirates took the loss, giving up two runs, only one of which was earned, on four hits over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out three and walked two, but he got no help from his offense when it counted.
So, what’s next? The Padres are heading to Tampa Bay for a three-game series, and they haven’t announced their starter for Friday night yet. The Pirates will be in St. Louis, with Jared Jones slated to start for them. The Padres really needed this win to keep that one-game lead. Every single game from here on out is gonna feel like a playoff game, and you just know they’ll be bringing that fire every night. Can they keep this momentum going into Tampa? We’re all gonna find out!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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