Merrill, Tatis Homer as Padres Edge Giants

Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. each hit a solo home run, and the San Diego Padres held off the San Francisco Giants 7-6 on Saturday afternoon at Oracle Park for their sixth straight win. Merrill's 25th homer tied the game at 3 in the third. Tatis' 21st made it 6-3 in the sixth.

That is the kind of road win a wild-card race lives on. The Padres (80-68) temporarily moved a full game ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third and final National League wild-card spot, with Arizona set to play Texas later.

King settles, Miller closes

Michael King (11-9) worked around early solo shots from Rafael Devers (37th) and Shay Whitcomb, then set down 16 of his final 18 batters across seven innings. He allowed three runs on five hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Mason Miller threw a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts for his 36th save, his second straight day of work.

Xander Bogaerts went 4-for-5 and scored twice. Dustin Harris drove in three runs. Austin Hays added two hits and scored twice. After trailing 2-0 and 3-2, San Diego scored in six consecutive innings to build a 7-3 lead before the Giants answered in the eighth.

Eighth-inning scare, wild-card math

Drew Cavanaugh led off the eighth with his first career homer, and Drew Gilbert followed with a two-run blast to make it 7-6. Adrian Morejon retired the middle of the Giants order, then Miller finished it. Giants starter Cesar Perdomo (0-1) lasted 4 2/3 innings and allowed five runs on 10 hits in his second career start.

San Diego has now beaten San Francisco eight times in 12 meetings this season. The Giants (62-87) fell to 15-26 in one-run games. Sunday's series finale lines up Logan Webb against Nick Pivetta at Oracle Park.

Padres fans who stayed through the eighth got the save they needed. Fantasy managers who started Merrill and Tatis got the solo stamps, and Bogaerts' four-hit line covered a quiet week by itself.

Reuters noted the Padres scored in six straight innings after falling behind early, and Austin Hays scored twice to help build the cushion. Bogaerts' four-hit night and Harris' three RBIs kept the line moving even when the Giants punched back in the eighth. San Diego's bullpen survived that rally and handed Miller a clean ninth.

Six in a row on the road against a rival, with the wild-card board blinking green. That is a Saturday worth bookmarking.