Padres Lose, Dodgers’ Magic Number Shrinks to Two

San Diego, California — The San Diego Padres lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, 3-1, on Wednesday, which shrank the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ magic number to win the division to just two games. This victory also ended the Brewers’ three-game losing streak and marked their 96th win of the season.

The Brewers broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning with an RBI double from first baseman Andrew Vaughn. The Padres responded in the sixth when center fielder Jackson Merrill hit a solo home run, tying the game at one run each.

Reliever Adrian Morejon, who had allowed only one hit in his last four outings, struggled against the Brewers. He surrendered three hits and one earned run over his inning of work after giving up a single to Brice Turang that pushed Milwaukee ahead.

In the ninth inning, catcher Danny Jansen added insurance for the Brewers by hitting a 392-foot solo home run off Padres reliever Jeremiah Estrada, who has been struggling lately with six earned runs allowed in his last ten outings.

The Dodgers could further reduce their magic number to one if they win against the Arizona Diamondbacks later that night. With only a few games left in the season, the Padres must secure wins quickly to ensure a postseason berth.