The Padres cannot go to the playoffs if they keep losing to the worst team in baseball. After dropping two straight to the Nationals they absolutely had to win Saturday night.
This is where superstars are supposed to step up. That's what they did.
Joe Musgrove, Josh Bell, and Juan Soto all had signature moments in a 2-1 win at Petco Park. Musgrove showed why he's getting $100 million to pitch for his home town team for the next five years, tossing 6.0 innings of 1-run ball and making a pair of stellar defensive plays.
In the 5th inning the Nats had runners at the corners with one out when they tried a squeeze. Musgrove charged the bunt and made a perfect glove flip to Austin Nola at the plate to cut down the runner by a couple of steps. On that play he didn't use his hand. On the next one he didn't used his glove.
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Joey Meneses hit a one-hopper back up the middle at 91 MPH. Musgrove threw his pitching hand up, snagged it like Odell Beckham Jr., and nonchalantly threw to 1st base for the out.
But, he was still down 1-0 and the way the Padres offense has been going it was a distinct possibility he'd take the loss. Then Josh Bell arrived at the party.
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The slugging 1st baseman who's been in a slump since coming over from Washington in the Juan Soto trade unloaded on a high fastball and launched it deep over the right-centerfield fence, his 1st home run as a Padre. The solo blast tied the game 1-1. The only other run of the game also came on a solo homer, and it was a missile.
In the 7th inning Soto launched one to straightaway centerfield, a 429-footer that turned out to be the game-winner. For more good news, the Brewers lost to the Cubs, increasing San Diego's lead over Milwaukee to 2.0 games for the final National League Wild Card spot. The Friars need to salvage the series on Sunday afternoon with Sean Manaea on the mound against Patrick Corbin.
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