Ryan O’Hearn hit a grand slam, Luis Arraez and Jose Iglesias also homered and the San Diego Padres blanked the visiting Milwaukee Brewers 7-0 on Tuesday to gain ground in the race for the National League’s top wild-card spot.
San Diego (87-71) moved within 1 1/2 games of the Chicago Cubs (88-69), a 9-7 loser to the New York Mets, for home-field advantage in a potential first-round playoff series between the teams. The Padres also moved within two games of the NL West-leading Dodgers (88-68), pending the outcome of Los Angeles’ game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
O’Hearn gave the Padres all the offense they needed when he turned on a hanging splitter from Bruce Zimmermann (0-1) in the bottom of the first. He lined it an estimated 366 feet into the right field seats for his second career slam and his 17th homer of the year.
Arraez made it 6-0 in the second with a two-run homer off the right field foul pole, his eighth of the year. Scoring ahead of him was Mason McCoy, who reached on a throwing error by second baseman Brice Turang.
Given that early support, Randy Vasquez (6-7) turned in a stellar outing. Vasquez retired the last 14 batters he faced as he gave up just one hit and two walks in seven innings, fanning three.
Christian Yelich’s single in the third was Milwaukee’s only hit off Vasquez. Padres relievers Wandy Peralta and Yuki Matsui each threw one inning to polish off a four-hit shutout.
Zimmermann, making his first major league appearance since 2023 and his first start since 2022, was charged with seven hits and six runs, five earned, in six innings. He walked two and struck out one.
Iglesias capped the scoring in the eighth with a solo blast to left-center off reliever Tobias Myers. It was Iglesias’ third homer of the year.
The Brewers (95-63) stayed 2 1/2 games ahead of Philadelphia (92-65) in the race for the NL’s best record after the Phillies lost 6-5 in 11 innings to the Miami Marlins.
