Padres top Giants as NL wild-card contenders gain hope

The San Diego Padres dealt the host San Francisco a damaging blow in their quest to make the National League playoffs Saturday night when right-hander Zach Davies and five relievers combined on a seven-hitter in a 6-2 victory.

The loss dropped the Giants (29-30) into a tie with the Milwaukee Brewers (29-30) for the second NL wild-card playoff position, and kept the Philadelphia Phillies (28-31) alive in a congestion that won't be settled until the dirt has settled on Sunday's final day of the regular season.

The Padres (36-23), meanwhile, have clinched second place in the NL West and the No. 4 NL playoff position, which guarantees home-field advantage in the first round of next week's playoffs. San Diego's first opponent also will be determined Sunday, with Miami (30-29) and the second-place finisher in the NL Central remaining as possibilities.

With his team's top two starting pitchers -- Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet -- battling injuries, Davies gave the Padres a boost with three shutout innings. He gave up three hits, struck out three and did not issue a walk.

The veteran was pulled after just nine outs so that he could be an option to start Game 1 on Wednesday should Clevinger and Lamet not be available.

Craig Stammen and Garrett Richards threw two shutout innings apiece, combining for five strikeouts, before the Giants finally broke through against Tim Hill and Dan Altavilla in the eighth.

Trying to protect a 3-0 lead, Hill walked Austin Slater and pinch-hitter Darin Ruf, with a Mike Yastrzemski single in between, to load the bases with no outs. With one out, Brandon Belt plated one run with an infield out and Wilmer Flores a second with a two-out single off Altavilla, before Evan Longoria struck out to end the uprising with the potential tying run at second.

Tommy Pham smacked a two-run homer, his third of the season, and Mitch Moreland followed with a solo shot, his 10th (second with the Padres), in the top of the ninth to give the Padres breathing room.

Stammen (4-2) was credited with the win.

The only scoring in the first 7 1/2 innings occurred when Fernando Tatis homered off Giants starter Johnny Cueto (2-3) to trigger a three-run fourth. The homer was Tatis' 17th of the season.

Moreland had an RBI single and Austin Nola a sacrifice fly later in the inning to put the Padres up 3-0.

Cueto worked 6 1/3 innings, allowing the three runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out four.

Moreland and Eric Hosmer collected two hits apiece for the Padres, who took a 7-2 lead in the season series.

Yastrzemski and Belt had two hits each for the Giants.

--Field Level Media