Fernando Tatis Jr. Breaks out Epic Bat Flip as Padres Top Cardinals in Game 2

Fernando Tatis Jr. is the mayor of Slam Diego. 

The young superstar and his Padres teammates found their power Thursday night, blasting four home runs—including two from Tatis—in a wild 11-9 comeback win over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series. 

The Cardinals shot out to a 4-0 lead after the second inning behind Kolten Wong's two-run homer, jumping out to an early advantage like they did in Game 1. 

But this time, the Padres had an answer, responding with back-to-back shots from Tatis (three-run homer) and Manny Machado (solo) in the bottom of the sixth, tying the game after trailing 6-2. It was the fourth time this season the superstar duo has gone back-to-back.

Wil Myers and Tatis appeared to put the finishing touches on the game in the seventh, each homering. 

Undeterred, the Cardinals pushed across two runs in the eighth on two sacrifice flies and another run in the ninth on a Paul Goldschmidt dinger. Luckily for the Padres, Myers iced the game with a two-run jack in the eighth.

Trevor Rosenthal came in and secured a nervy save, setting up a Game 3 on Friday. 

Key Players

Fernando Tatis Jr., SD: 3-for-5, two homers, five RBI

Manny Machado, SD: 1-for-5, one homer

Tommy Pham, SD: 4-for-5

Wil Myers, SD: 2-for-5, two homers, four RBI

Kolten Wong, STL: 1-for-4, one homer, four RBI

Adam Wainwright, STL: 3.1 innings, six hits, two runs, two walks, three strikeouts

Matt Carpenter, STL: 1-for-3, three runs

Harrison Bader, STL: 1-for-3, two RBI, one run

Paul Goldschmidt, STL: 2-for-5, one homer

Tatis Is A Stone-Cold Superstar

For the second straight game, the Padres found themselves in a hole. Starting pitcher Chris Paddack was downright awful Wednesday. Zach Davies didn't do much better Thursday, giving up four runs in two innings. 

But the pitching won't be the main storyline because Tatis saved San Diego's season. He's a special, generational talent. He's also a lot of fun to watch.  

The Padres posted more comeback wins (22) than any other team in baseball during the regular season, in large part due to their electrifying offense. Make it 23, thanks in large part to Tatis. 

A Taxed Cardinals Bullpen Gave Out in Game 2

The Cardinals used six pitchers in Wednesday's 7-4 win, giving up just one run. It showed Thursday. 

This time, the Cardinals cycled through eight pitchers after Wainwright went just 3.1 innings. And this time, the bullpen allowed nine runs to come across the plate. 

Both of these teams have pushed their pitching staffs to the limits in this series. The Padres' starter for Friday is a question mark with Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet out of the series. The one advantage the Cardinals might have left is a good start from Jack Flaherty. 

If he gets rocked early and the Cardinals need to rely on the bullpen for a long stretch again, however, they're in trouble. 

What's Next?

Game 3 will be Friday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.