SAN DIEGO (AP) — Nolan Arenado hit one of Arizona's three home runs and Geraldo Perdomo drove in four runs for the Diamondbacks, who beat San Diego 11-4 on Friday night to remain alive for the National League's final wild-card spot.
Lars Nootbar and Jordan Lawlar also homered in the victory, which kept San Diego from clinching the No. 4 seed and home-field advantage in the wild-card round next week.
Brandon Pfaadt (8-3) beat the Padres for the third time this season with 7 2/3 innings. He allowed four runs and nine hits, struck out seven and walked two.
San Diego and Chicago clinched wild-card berths on Thursday, leaving Philadelphia and Arizona to fight it out for the third spot. Arizona is one game behind the Phillies with two to play.
The Diamondbacks and Padres knew that the Cubs had been swept by Boston in a doubleheader and that Philadelphia had lost to Tampa Bay.
The Padres then just needed to beat the Diamondbacks to clinch the No. 4 seed.
But Casey Mize (6-10) allowed the three home runs to jeopardize his spot on the wild-card roster and the Padres were booed a few times a night after clinching their club-record third straight postseason berth with a 4-2 win at the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Nootbar drove Mize's first pitch into the home-run porch in the right-field corner. Perdomo hit an RBI triple and Corbin Carroll a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.
Lawlar homered to right field with one out in the second. Arenado drove a two-run shot off the third level of the Western Metal Supply Co. brick warehouse in the left-field corner with two outs in the third, his 30th, for a 6-2 lead.
Gabriel Moreno hit an RBI single in the fourth and, after Kyle Hart walked the bases loaded in the sixth, Perdomo cleared them with a double that bounced off the glove of retreating center fielder Jackson Merrill and then off the padded fence.
Padres center fielder Jase Bowen robbed Perdomo of a home run to end the eighth and then stole one from Tim Tawa to end the ninth.
Arizona was pondering its options for Saturday night after placing RHP Corbin Burnes on the injured list with shoulder inflammation. The Padres will go with RHP Walker Buehler (9-6, 4.56 ERA).
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Arizona Diamondbacks' Geraldo Perdomo runs to third base after hitting an RBI triple in the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Karl Anderson)
Arizona Diamondbacks' Nolan Arenado, left, celebrates with Geraldo Perdomo (2) after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Karl Anderson)
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt works against a San Diego Padres batter in the second inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Karl Anderson)
