That is 0 articles you have read today.
The Aporia is free and carries no advertising, so readers are the only
thing paying for it. If you are getting this much out of it, a small
donation is what keeps it independent.
Daily limit reached
You have read 0 articles today.
That is more than the 15 a day The Aporia gives away,
and well past what it can carry on nothing. Your allowance resets at
midnight.
There is no advertising here and nothing about you is sold, so readers
are the only thing paying for it. If the site is worth this much of
your day, it is worth a few dollars.
Everything else stays open: the
maps, the
directory and
search do
not count against this, and neither does re-opening something you have
already read today.
Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-27 · by Bernie Wilson The Associated Press
Manny Machado hit a three-run home run as the San Diego Padres defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-7 on Saturday, securing the No. 4 seed in the National League playoffs and home-field advantage for their best-of-three Wild Card Series against the fifth-seeded Chicago Cubs starting Tuesday. The win capped off a franchise-record third consecutive 90-win season for San Diego, who will face either the Diamondbacks or Phillies if they advance to the Divisional round.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-27,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. hit the first leadoff homer in Padres playoff history on the Cubs’ first pitch, Michael King took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and San Diego rolled to an 8-0 victory over Chicago in their NL Wild Card Series opener on Tuesday night. Nico Hoerner got Chicago’s only hit off King with a one-out infield single in the seventh. Manny Machado also homered in the first inning and added an RBI double in the third during an emphatic opening statement by the 91-win Padres. Xander Bogaerts also homered off Cubs starter Matthew Boyd, and Jackson Merrill added a two-run single later. King struck out eight over seven innings while thoroughly throttling the majors’ highest-scoring team. The series continues with Game 2 on Wednesday night at Petco Park. San Diego leads the best-of-three series 1-0. The winner will face the MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers in the best-of-five division series. Back in 1984, Tony Gwynn and Steve Garvey led the Padres to their first World Series appearance using home-field energy at Jack Murphy Stadium. Current players like Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado hope to replicate that success with the support of 3,347,081 fans this season, second only to the Dodgers in total attendance. Last year, San Diego lost 2-1 to the Cubs in a Wild Card game at Wrigley Field. Chicago is now +108 to win Game 2, with the total set at 7.5 runs. Michael King’s performance silenced any doubts about his ability against strong lineups, setting up a potential series clincher for San Diego. The Padres' win marked an emphatic response to Chicago's regular-season dominance and humiliation in July. Hoerner reached on an infield single when Machado couldn’t field cleanly enough to make the play. King’s no-hit bid ended in the seventh inning but he struck out two more batters before being relieved. San Diego is now -131 favorites for Game 2, looking to build momentum and control their path to the division series against Milwaukee. The Cubs' lineup, known for its high walk rate and low strikeout percentage, struggled mightily against King’s approach that induced weak contact despite lower than average strikeouts and walks compared to league standards. Matthew Boyd started for Chicago but was unable to prevent an early deficit due to Tatis Jr.’s leadoff homer and Machado’s first-inning blast. This sets the stage for a pivotal Game 2 where San Diego aims to secure their place in the division series with another strong performance. San Diego hopes to continue leveraging their home-field advantage against Chicago, who now face an uphill battle in reversing last year's elimination at Wrigley Field. The Padres' strategy seems focused on capitalizing on King’s ability to neutralize high-power lineups while maintaining solid defensive support from Machado and others. If successful, San Diego will move closer to avenging their postseason loss from the previous season. The series remains heavily contested, with each team aware of the importance of leveraging home-field energy for a potential division series berth against Milwaukee’s formidable pitching rotation. The focus now shifts to Wednesday night's Game 2 at Petco Park, where San Diego will look to extend their lead and advance further in the playoffs.
Written for “Padres Cubs Wild Card Series” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 12 other(s) covering the same event.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Manny Machado hit a three-run homer and the San Diego Padres beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-7 on Saturday to secure the No. 4 seed in the National League playoffs.
asserted
Padres → hit → playoffs
San Diego will host every game in a best-of-three Wild Card Series against the fifth-seeded Chicago Cubs beginning Tuesday.
asserted
Diego → host → Tuesday
The winner will face the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers in a best-of-five Division Series.
asserted
winner → face → Series
The Cubs eliminated the Padres 2-1 in the wild-card round at Chicago last season.
asserted
Cubs → eliminate → Chicago
Xander Bogaerts also went deep for the Padres (90-71), who clinched their club-record third straight 90-win season and seventh in team history.
asserted
who → go → history
They earned their franchise-best third consecutive postseason berth with a 4-2 win Thursday night at the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
asserted
They → earn → Dodgers
The Diamondbacks had their six-game winning streak snapped but remain alive for the NL’s third wild-card spot.
asserted
streak → have → spot
They are one game behind Philadelphia going into Sunday’s season finales and hold the tiebreaker.
asserted
They → go → tiebreaker
The Phillies lost their fourth straight game, 12-1 to AL East champion Tampa Bay.
asserted
Phillies → lose → Bay
Arizona’s Gabriel Moreno hit an RBI single and went 1 for 3 with a walk to keep his average at .311, just ahead of injured Phillies infielder Luis Arraez (.310) in the race for the NL batting title.
asserted
Moreno → hit → title
Moreno’s spot in the order came up after Mason Miller loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth, but the Diamondbacks sent pinch-hitter Adrian Del Castillo to the plate and he struck out.
asserted
he → come → plate
Miller allowed three runs.
asserted
Miller → allow → runs
Machado hit a 1-1 pitch from Jose Cabrera (0-4) into the home run porch in the right-field corner for a 6-4 lead in the fourth.
asserted
Machado → hit → fourth
That gave Machado his eighth career 30-homer season, tying Arizona’s Nolan Arenado and Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber for the most among active players.
asserted
That → give → players
It was his fourth 30-homer season with San Diego, tying Adrian Gonzalez for the most in team history.
asserted
It → tie → history
The Diamondbacks went ahead 4-3 in the top of the fourth on James McCann’s two-run homer to straightaway center off Walker Buehler.
asserted
Diamondbacks → go → Buehler
Arizona led 2-1 in the third before the Padres went in front on Ty France’s RBI groundout and Gavin Sheets’ RBI double that center fielder Tim Tawa lost in the lights and twilight sky.
asserted
Tawa → lead → lights
Bogaerts hit a solo homer in the two-run fifth, and Jake Cronenworth added a two-run single in the sixth.
asserted
Cronenworth → hit → sixth
Yuki Matsui (5-1) got the win in relief.
asserted
Matsui → get → relief
Up next
Diamondbacks RHP Michael Soroka (9-5, 3.31 ERA) is scheduled to pitch the season finale Sunday.
asserted
Soroka → schedule → finale
The Padres hadn’t announced a starter.
asserted
Padres → announce → starter
The Aporia
