The San Diego Padres extended their winning streak to a season-high eight games with an 8-7 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Monday night. The win maintains San Diego’s 2½-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the National League’s final Wild Card spot, a cushion that now stands at three games in the loss column.
Padres survive late rally in familiar fashion
The contest followed a pattern established during the team’s weekend sweep in San Francisco: a commanding early lead followed by a tense finish. San Diego jumped ahead 6-1 after three innings, powered by home runs from Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. The Rockies, however, chipped away steadily, twice pulling within a single run in the later innings.
“It’s just the time of year where you’ve got to win,” said Ty France, who went 3-for-5 with a crucial two-out RBI single in the seventh. “Especially with the position that we’re in, being in this tight of a race — wins are all that’s important. And it doesn’t matter how you do it. You’ve just got to win.”
France, activated from the paternity list earlier in the day, delivered the go-ahead hit after Colorado had cut the deficit to 6-5. His two-out single scored Luis Arraez and provided a critical insurance run. The Padres added another in the eighth on a two-out double by Dustin Harris, but the Rockies answered again in the bottom of the frame to make it 8-7.
France emerging as one of baseball’s top hitters
The veteran first baseman continues to author one of the most remarkable contract-year stories in recent memory. Signed to a minor league deal, France entered Monday ranked 11th among qualified hitters with a 142 wRC+, just ahead of Shohei Ohtani, and 12th in OPS, ahead of Elly De La Cruz and Kyle Schwarber. Because he began the season in a platoon role, he does not yet qualify for the official leaderboards, but he is on pace to reach the threshold before the regular season concludes.
“No other way to put it: France is one of the signings of the season,” the broadcast noted. He has also provided Gold Glove-caliber defense at first base, adding further value to a clubhouse that has embraced him.
Miller survives comebacker, Machado ends it
Closer Mason Miller took the mound for the ninth inning with a one-run lead. The first batter, Kyle Karros, hit a sharp comebacker off Miller’s calf. The right-hander stayed in the game and later reported he felt fine, but the infield single brought the tying run to the plate with one out.
With two outs, Adael Amador hit a high chopper toward third base. Machado charged, fielded the ball cleanly, transferred quickly, and fired a strike across the diamond for the final out.
“That was a sick play,” Miller said. “I thought there was no chance. But when you’ve got an arm like his, always possible.”
“Coors Field special right there,” said manager Craig Stammen.
Five straight winning seasons, chasing a third straight playoff berth
The victory secured the franchise’s 82nd win, guaranteeing a fifth consecutive winning season — a first in Padres history. While the organization has larger ambitions, the milestone reflects a cultural shift.
“We’re proud to be a part of something like that, where the expectation is to play playoff baseball,” Stammen said. “Part of that is playing over .500 every year.”
San Diego now sits one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies and 1½ games behind the Chicago Cubs for the top two Wild Card seeds, though both clubs hold season-series tiebreakers over the Padres. With ten games remaining, San Diego controls its path: gaining one more game on Arizona in the loss column would clinch a postseason berth before the season-ending series at Petco Park.
For now, the Padres will take the wins however they come.
