The Padres rested several regulars and still scored in every inning from the third through the eighth. Freddy Fermin drove in three runs, Gavin Sheets homered and San Diego beat Arizona 9-4 Sunday at Petco Park, closing the regular season at 91-71 before a home Wild Card Series.
Randy Vásquez set the pace with efficiency. He allowed one run on three hits over six innings, striking out two without a walk on 68 pitches. Arizona's first run did not arrive until Ketel Marte singled home Jordan Lawlar in the sixth. By then, San Diego had already built a 3-0 lead one run at a time.
Manny Machado opened the scoring with a third-inning single that brought home Sung-Mun Song. Sheets followed with his 17th homer in the fourth, a solo drive to center. Ty France singled home Dustin Harris in the fifth. Three innings, three different run producers, no need for a long rally.
The middle innings changed the shape. Fermin doubled home Austin Hays in the sixth for a 4-1 lead. Arizona then tied the game against Griffin Canning in the seventh on run-scoring hits by Corbin Carroll, Tim Tawa and Lars Nootbaar. The Diamondbacks had erased six quiet innings in one burst.
San Diego answered before the tie could settle. Jake Cronenworth drew a bases-loaded walk after an automated ball-strike challenge confirmed the call, forcing home France. Fermin followed with a two-run single, scoring Luis Campusano and Hays. The Padres went from 4-4 to 7-4 without an extra-base hit.
Hays supplied the final margin in the eighth with a two-run single that brought home Harris and France. Fermin finished 2-for-4 with a double. Hays and France each had two hits and scored twice; Harris added two hits and two runs. San Diego collected 11 hits, drew six walks and went 5-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
The lineup construction reflected a team that had already clinched its seed. Machado left after his run-scoring single, with Samad Taylor taking over on the bases. Campusano replaced Sheets, and Jase Bowen started in center. Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts did not appear. Even with that turnover, seven Padres scored and six different hitters drove in at least one run.
The pitching plan kept the bullpen narrow. Vásquez handled six innings, and Canning finished the last three despite allowing three runs on five hits and a walk. With the postseason starting Tuesday, avoiding a parade of relievers mattered more than the midgame blemish. Canning received the win after San Diego regained the lead in the bottom of the seventh.
Arizona's postseason hopes ended elsewhere during the game when Philadelphia beat Tampa Bay. San Diego's place was already secure: the Padres had clinched the National League's No. 4 seed Saturday and will host the Chicago Cubs. The 91st victory also completed a third consecutive 90-win season. Sunday still offered a useful final rhythm. The replacement-heavy lineup absorbed a three-run counterpunch, answered immediately and delivered win No. 91 without asking its highest-leverage arms to protect it.