Rookie Ethan Salas stroked an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning Saturday night and the San Diego Padres edged the visiting Miami Marlins 7-6.
Salas’ hit scored Jake Cronenworth, who started the inning as the automatic runner at second base and advanced to third on a wild pitch by Josh Ekness (2-4). After Sung-Mun Song fanned, Salas batted for Freddy Fermin and grounded a 0-2 fastball up the middle for San Diego’s 11th walk-off win of the year.
David Morgan (4-1) stranded runners at first and second in the top of the 10th to earn the win, San Diego’s 12th in 13 games.
The Padres tied the Chicago Cubs for the top wild-card spot in the National League at 86-69, a game ahead of Philadelphia, and reduced their magic number for clinching a playoff spot to three.
Miami (76-79) forced extra innings when pinch hitter Griffin Conine pulled a 102 mph fastball from closer Mason Miller for a game-tying homer with one out in the ninth. It was Conine’s 17th homer of the year.
Both starters did not factor into the decision after rough outings. Miami right-hander Eury Perez permitted five runs on eight hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings, whiffing four. San Diego righty Casey Mize lasted only three innings, allowing five hits and five runs while walking five and striking out two.
The Marlins initiated scoring with three runs in the second, Joe Mack’s fielder’s choice scored Jakob Marsee, and Otto Lopez cracked a two-run homer over the left field wall, his 11th of the year.
Samad Taylor got the Padres on the board in their half of the second with his second homer of the season, a 388-foot shot to left. But Miami upped the lead to 5-1 in the third as Agustin Ramirez grounded an RBI-double down the left field line and scored on Esteury Ruiz’s single.
San Diego rallied for three runs in the third. Cronenworth coaxed a bases-loaded walk and Ty France scored on a balk by Perez, followed by a sacrifice fly by Taylor.
Fernando Tatis Jr. drew the Padres even at 5-5 in the fourth when he rifled a leadoff homer an estimated 410 feet to right-center, his 24th of the year. They took the lead in the sixth when France ripped a two-out double just over the head of Ruiz in right, scoring Dustin Harris.