San Diego Pulled Arizona Toward the Line

The Padres beat the D-backs 9-4 on August 4, cutting into Arizona's cushion in a direct playoff-race matchup.

San Diego jumped on Arizona early and kept the pressure on from the start.

Manny Machado finished 3-for-5 with a double and four RBI, while Jackson Merrill went 3-for-5 with two RBI.

Randy Vásquez threw six scoreless innings as San Diego built its lead.

What It Means

San Diego gained ground in the chase, while Arizona is still barely above the 50% line.

BaseChaser now has the Padres at 35.2%, with the D-backs at 50.1%.

That keeps Arizona in a fragile spot and gives San Diego a little more life in the playoff race.

Track every team's playoff race with 100,000 simulations updated daily at BaseChaser.