San Diego Padres blasted by Diamondbacks, miss chance at home field in NL Wild Card series

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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 25: Pitching coach Ruben Niebla #57 of the San Diego Padres speaks with Casey Mize #32 during the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park on September 25, 2026 in San Diego, California.

A night after locking down their place in the National League playoffs, the Padres found themselves in the pleasantly surprising position being able to host the Wild Card series. The Cubs got swept in a doubleheader in Boston and the Phillies were shut out at home by Tampa Bay, meaning a win on Friday night against the Diamondbacks would formally send the first round of the postseason to Petco Park.

That was not going to be easy against an Arizona club that's also fighting for its playoff life and likely can't afford any more losses to stay alive. The DBacks came out swinging like a desperate team, scoring three runs in the first inning en route to an 11-4 win. Casey Mize simply did not have it.

He served up a home run to Lars Nootbaar on the very first pitch of the game, then allowed a solo shot to Jordan Lawlar in the 2nd and a two-run blast to Nolan Arenado in the 3rd. Mize ended up allowing seven runs in 4.0 innings, putting his spot on the postseason roster in a bit of doubt. Arizona put it well out of reach in the 6th inning.

Reliever Kyle Hart got the first two outs then walked the bases loaded before Geraldo Perdomo hit a sharp liner to dep centerfield. Jackson Merrill was in position to make a terrific running catch but the ball glanced off the side of his glove as his back crashed into the wall. All three runners scored on a double, leaving the Friar Faithful to try again on Saturday.

The Padres will send Walker Buehler to the mound in the penultimate game of the regular season, meaning he would be lined up on regular rest to start a potential Game 3 of the Wild Card Series, which he would probably very much like to have in his home ballpark.

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