Freddy Fermin’s one-out single in the bottom of the 11th inning Monday night lifted the San Diego Padres to a 5-4 win over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, sealing a spot in the National League playoffs.
Bryce Johnson was placed at second to start the inning and Jose Iglesias bunted him to third. Fermin lined the first pitch from Grant Anderson (2-6) into center to start a celebration in the middle of the field.
Rookie Bradgley Rodriguez (1-0) induced a double-play ball from Jackson Chourio to escape a bases-loaded spot in the top of the inning as San Diego clinched a playoff spot for the second straight year. Rodriguez earned his first major league win.
Each team scored in the 10th inning on a fielder’s-choice grounder. The Padres pulled within 2 1/2 games of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West and within 2 1/2 games of the Chicago Cubs for the top NL wild card. The Brewers saw their lead over the Philadelphia Phillies for the majors’ best record slip to 2 1/2 games.
Cardinals 6, Giants 5
Ivan Herrera ignited a four-run fifth inning with a two-run homer, four St. Louis relievers combined for four innings of shutout ball and the visiting Cardinals kept their flickering playoff hopes alive with a victory over San Francisco.
A second straight win by the Cardinals and the eighth loss in 10 games by the Giants left the teams tied in the National League wild-card race. They each trail the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets by 3 1/2 games and the Arizona Diamondbacks by 2 1/2 games for the final NL playoff spot. Michael McGreevy (8-3) finished the fifth to earn the win, charged with all five Giants runs on six hits.
Giants starter Justin Verlander (3-11) served up all six Cardinals runs, only four of which were earned, in 4 1/3 innings. He allowed nine hits and two walks while striking out three.
Braves 11, Nationals 5
Michael Harris II produced three hits and three RBIs on Monday as Atlanta beat visiting Washington to extend its winning streak to nine games.
Harris went 3-for-5 with a double, a run and three stolen bases. Marcell Ozuna contributed three hits, Drake Baldwin added two and Ronald Acuna Jr. homered. Atlanta finished with 14 hits, reaching double figures for the seventh time during the winning streak. Atlanta second baseman Ozzie Albies sustained a fractured hamate bone and will miss the rest of the season. Chris Sale (6-5) got the victory despite allowing five runs — matching his season high — in five innings.
Washington starter MacKenzie Gore (5-15) was removed after two-plus innings, his shortest stint of the year. He allowed four runs on four hits and four walks with three strikeouts.
