The Padres beat the Pirates 8-2 on Wednesday in Pittsburgh and took the three-game series, a result that tightened their grip on a race that is only getting louder from here. San Diego improved to 70-43 in Pittsburgh since the wild-card era began in 1995.
Manny Machado got a full rest on the same day the Padres won, with rookie manager Craig Stammen trying to keep the veteran fresh without asking too much of him. Machado will turn 34 in three months, but he was barely 20 when he entered the big leagues, and the contrast in those numbers is exactly why the workload matters now.
Miguel Andujar filled in for Machado, though the switch did not go smoothly. Andujar had a subpar throw within a failed rundown, and Michael King did not initiate the rundown well before the Pirates chased him with a pair of rocketed hits.
Read Also: Pittsburgh Pirates Host Padres Vs Pirates After Three-Game Win Streak
The win matters beyond one afternoon because the Pirates are now a Padres rival in the race for one of the three wild-card playoff berths, and the Dodgers are still expected to win the National League West. That leaves San Diego chasing the postseason through the back door, while Pittsburgh has been cast as a potential wild-card contender headed toward what could be its first winning season in eight years.
Read Also: Rockies Vs Padres: Surging NL West rivals meet again in San Diego
Preseason forecasts did not see it this way. FanGraphs analytics and ’s composite of choices from 30 beat writers picked the Pirates to outperform the Padres, but Wednesday’s result gave San Diego the series and a cleaner read on where both clubs stand in August. The Padres looked like the more complete team when it counted, and the standings have started to say the same thing.
