San Diego clinched a wild-card berth with Freddy Fermin's 11th-inning walk-off, 5-4, over Milwaukee. Five games remain at Petco as the Padres chase the No. 5 seed behind the Dodgers. A 10th-inning rally tied it on Gavin Sheets' fielder's choice that plated Luis Arraez, and Jose Iglesias followed with a sacrifice that set up Fermin's decisive hit. San Diego is in the playoffs for the second straight year and fourth in six seasons.

Cease steadies after a rough first inning, then San Diego explodes with four homers to rout Colorado 11-3 at Petco Park. Tatis Jr. and Machado supply the power, Arraez and Diaz pile up multi-hit nights, and Laureano doubles in two as the lineup wakes up around a six-inning start from Cease.

Machado adds a solo HR in the third and an RBI single in the fourth, Merrill and Laureano contribute big hits, and Bryce Johnson caps the late surge with a two-run homer in the eighth. The Padres’ offense snaps out of a late-season lull in a convincing win, setting up a hopeful finish to the series.

Cease works six innings, allowing one run on five hits with six strikeouts, while the bullpen yields two in the eighth before Johnson’s blast seals it. Four Padres starters reach safely multiple times as the attack erupts in support of a strong mound night.