Padres’ fate sealed on two pitches, but they maintain wild-card advantage despite loss

const iframe document getElementById newspack-iframe-SIQDsA YuUAZ const timerId setInterval function iframe src iframe src iframe onload function clearInterval timerId For the Padres Friday night s championship came down to two back-to-back pitches Blaine Crim drove a three-run home run an estimated feet on the first from JP Sears and Kyle Farmer homered on Sears next pitch to carry the last-place Rockies past the playoff-contending Friars - Friday With the homers the Rockies scored for the first time in five games in San Diego this season Colorado which has the worst record in the majors at - was outscored - in a three-game sweep in April and opened this four-game set with a - loss Thursday The Padres stayed games behind the Dodgers in the NL West and four games ahead of the Mets in the race for the second of three NL wild cards L A and New York both lost Friday the Dodgers on a th-inning grand slam Sears - struck out seven through three innings before allowing singles to Hunter Goodman and Jordan Beck opening the fourth With two outs Crim a -year-old rookie drove the first pitch he saw into the second deck in left field It was his first big league hit Farmer hit Sears next pitch an estimated feet into the Padres bullpen in left center That runs erased a - Padre lead Manny Machado had hit a -foot home run off Tanner Gordon - with two outs in the first for his first hit in five games It was his th Gordon allowed two hits in six-plus innings struck out nine and walked one He retired straight batters at one point Fernando Tatis Jr had the toughest time with Gordon striking out four times The Padres though scored a run in the bottom of the ninth after a single by Machado a double by Gavin Sheets and a RBI ground out by Ramon Laureano With Jackson Merrill who walked at first and Sheets at third Ryan O Hearn came up and took the first pitch low But he swung at the next three pitches from Victor Vodnik including a changeup that was outside to end the Friars hopes Dylan Cease is set to face the Rockies Bradley Blalock - ERA Saturday at Petco Park