Padres push playoff magic number to three with 7-3 win in Chicago

Chicago, Illinois – San Diego took care of business Saturday night, topping the White Sox 7-3 behind timely hitting and another shutdown effort from the bullpen. The win snapped a brief two-game skid and brought the Friars one step closer to locking down their second straight postseason berth.

Jackson Merrill set the tone early with a solo homer in the second inning, but the night belonged to Ryan O’Hearn. The trade deadline pickup came through when the game was hanging in the balance. With the score tied 2-2 in the sixth, O’Hearn ripped a double to the wall in left-center, clearing the bases and putting San Diego ahead for good. He finished with three hits, three RBI, and a performance that looked tailor-made for October.

The Padres piled on from there. Gavin Sheets — facing his former team — added an RBI single, and Luis Arraez tacked on another in the late innings to give the bullpen breathing room. Yu Darvish gave up two runs across 4 2/3 innings before handing things off. From there, Adrian Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada, and Mason Miller combined for 3 1/3 scoreless frames. Robert Suarez gave up a solo shot to Lenyn Sosa in the ninth, but by then the outcome was well in hand.

The victory was as much about the scoreboard in Cincinnati as it was about what happened on the South Side. The Reds’ win over the Cubs shaved San Diego’s magic number down to three. That means Petco Park is on the verge of hosting another party, though fans will have to wait until the team gets back home. With just one more game left on this road trip, the earliest the Padres can clinch is Monday, when they open a three-game set against the Brewers.

And when the champagne corks do pop, Padres fans can start bracing for what looks like an inevitable return to Chicago. The playoff bracket almost guarantees a best-of-three Wild Card series at Wrigley Field. Rain or shine, the Padres are closing in — and they’re starting to look ready for the big stage.