Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres Top Cardinals to Set Up NLDS Showdown vs. Dodgers

Joseph Zucker @@JosephZuckerFeatured ColumnistOctober 3, 2020

Gregory Bull/Associated Press

The San Diego Padres advanced to the National League Division Series with a 4-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park on Friday.

Jack Flaherty did a good job of escaping danger when the Padres got on base, but Eric Hosmer finally broke the deadlock in the fifth inning. Fernando Tatis Jr. doubled to left with one out and came home on a double by Hosmer.

San Diego Padres @Padres
Scoreless? Two outs? No sweat for the vet. https://t.co/aTPp8H8iDT

San Diego plated two more in the seventh inning to earn some much-needed breathing room, and Jake Cronenworth added another insurance run with a solo homer to center in the eighth.

MLB @MLB
Some insurance and now the @Padres can taste it. #Postseason https://t.co/CDqBzHAj05

Trevor Rosenthal struck out the side in the ninth to seal the victory.

Notable Performers

Jack Flaherty, SP, Cardinals: 6.0 IP, six hits, one earned run, two walks, eight strikeouts

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Eric Hosmer, 1B, Padres: 1-for-3, two RBI, one double

Jake Cronenworth, 2B, Padres: 3-for-4, two runs, one RBI, one home run

Padres Rely on Strength in Numbers

Padres manager Jayce Tingler had little choice but to make this a bullpen game. Chris Paddack started the series opener, and Zach Davies took the bump Thursday. Dinelson Lamet and Mike Clevinger aren't available either.

Craig Stammen pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, a vast improvement over how San Diego opened Games 1 and 2 when Paddack and Davies combined to allow 10 earned runs over 4.1 innings. Stammen set the tone for his team.

Kevin Acee @sdutKevinAcee
Craig Stammen leaves to a shockingly loud standing ovation from the few hundred people (mostly players' families) inside Petco Park. Went 1.2 IP. Tim Hill inherits runner at second base.

Tom Krasovic @SDUTKrasovic
Yell Bingo if you had Craig Stammen having the best Padres start in the wild-card round. Five outs, no runs. Long track record of throwing strikes, mixing pitches, maintaining composure.

Scott Miller @ScottMillerBbl
Craig Stammen departs after facing 6 hitters, retiring 5, runner on 2B and 0-0 score in top of 2nd. Stammen threw what many in the game will tell you is baseball's best pitch -- a first-pitch strike -- to 5 of the 6 hitters he faced

There's an obvious downside to using nine relievers in a game during a postseason that doesn't have any built-in days off for the first three rounds. This won't be sustainable for too long if San Diego can't count on its starting pitchers eating up more innings.

Bob Nightengale @BNightengale
This is the first time in postseason history that any team has ever used eight or more pitchers in three consecutive postseason games. #Padres

Tingler told reporters before the game there's a "possibility" Lamet and Clevinger could return to the active roster for the NLDS. Their health will be critical toward San Diego's hopes of moving any deeper in the bracket.

Cardinals Waste Gem by Flaherty

Flaherty did everything he could to prolong St. Louis' stay in the playoffs. The Padres left seven men on base and were 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position against the Cardinals right-hander.

Flaherty's command wasn't great, which is why his pitch count climbed to 110; his stuff was almost untouchable.

St. Louis Cardinals @Cardinals
Throwing heat, but leaving them frozen! https://t.co/2ZmIrSSap8

Bob Nightengale @BNightengale
Jack Flaherty pitching like the Jack Flaherty who finished fourth in the Cy Young race last season for #STLCards

Jayson Stark @jaysonst
That Jack Flaherty slider is a devasting pitch. Opponents hit .176 vs. it this year, with 21 K & only 9 hits. The #Padres have swung at 14 of them tonight - and missed 9 of those swings. But he's at 110 pitches through 6, so it'll be up to the #StLCards bullpen now

Few will question manager Mike Shildt's decision to bring Alex Reyes on for the seventh. But it was somewhat fitting that things briefly went off the rails for the Cardinals immediately after Flaherty exited.

Errors by Kolten Wong and Tommy Edman helped gift valuable runs to the Padres.

Kyle Glaser @KyleAGlaser
The Cardinals, after playing sterling defense all series, have made a pair of costly errors here in the seventh. Wong threw away a potential double-play ball and now Edman bounces a throw to the plate. Both were tough plays (Wong spinning, Edman jumping) but it's 2-0 Padres

Nick Stellini @StelliniTweets
We've replaced the Cardinals with the Mets. Let's see how long it takes for people to notice.

Reyes walked in one of those runs yet mitigated the damage by getting Tommy Pham to ground into a double play and striking out Mitch Moreland.

Committing two errors and registering four hits in an elimination game is a rough way for the Cardinals' season to end.

What's Next?

The Padres will play the top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS. San Diego is looking for its first NLCS appearance since claiming the pennant in 1998.