Tatís homers, Cease strikes out 10 as Padres blank Giants 5-0

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Fernando Tatís Jr. hit a two-run homer, Dylan Cease struck out 10 in six shutout innings and the San Diego Padres beat the San Francisco Giants 5-0 on Friday night.

The Padres are a half-game ahead of the Diamondbacks atop the National League wild card standings and 1 1/2 games in front of the Mets for the third and final wild card spot. The Giants have lost three of four and were shut out in back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Luis Arráez had three hits and a walk on Friday, extending his streak to 129 consecutive at bats without a strikeout. It’s the longest since Juan Pierre went 147 at bats without a strikeout in 2004.

Cease (13-11) recorded his 1,000th career strikeout in the third inning when he got Donovan Walton looking. He held the Giants to four hits and two walks, and also got some help from defense in the sixth when Tatís and Jake Cronenworth combined to cut down Heliot Ramos at the plate on a double by Patrick Bailey. The 28-year-old got his first win since Aug. 17.

“It means a lot,” Cease said of getting to the 1,000 mark. “Longevity and execution and performance and all that good stuff, but just happy we won. I feel like I haven’t contributed in like a month. So it feels nice to contribute.”

Padres manager Mike Shildt said Cease was “electric.”

“I thought his stuff was really good,” Shildt said. “Around the zone, a lot of life, ball up, secondary was good. A lot of strikes out of the hand. Anytime there was a miss, it was a quick adjustment. I thought it was fantastic to get through six and keep them shut out.”

San Diego scored three times in the first inning off Logan Webb (12-10). Tatís homered to center field after Arráez led off the game with a single. Xander Bogaerts drove in Manny Machado with an RBI double later in the inning.

“He's just driving balls,” Shildt said of Tatís. “He looks like he’s in a good place ... That’s a good sign when he’s driving the ball to the middle of the field, using the gaps.”

Webb gave up a fourth run in the fourth when he threw wildly to first on a comebacker by Elias Díaz, allowing Jackson Merrill to score from second. He exited after the fourth after allowing seven hits, striking out four and walking one while throwing 83 pitches.

It was the first time in 22 games that Webb has not pitched at least five innings.

“They’re one of the better (batting) average teams in baseball, if not the best,” Webb said. “I’m a contact guy. My job is to try to limit damage and I didn’t do that."

Giants manager Bob Melvin said that Webb has been taxed this season. He leads all of baseball with 193.2 innings pitched.

“Just a tough first inning, throws the ball away,” Melvin said. “It was time to just give him a little bit of a break. (To) keep pushing him in a 4-0 game with the innings that he’s pitched, sometimes even a guy like him needs a break.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: IF Ha-Seong Kim (right shoulder inflammation), whose recovery has been shaky, was scheduled to throw on Friday but manager Mike Shildt said that Kim has “gone back a little bit in his throwing intensity.”

Giants: IF Tyler Fitzgerald (lower back tightness) has no structural damage in his lower back after undergoing an MRI. The shortstop is considered day-to-day after leaving Thursday’s game early, and manager Bob Melvin said he isn’t expected to go on the IL. … LHP Robbie Ray (left hamstring strain) is scheduled to throw a bullpen this weekend. … RHP Randy Rodriguez (right elbow inflammation) threw a bullpen on Thursday and is scheduled for another on Sunday.

UP NEXT

RHP Mason Black (0-3, 7.50 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for the Giants in the second game of the series, opposite RHP Joe Musgrove (5-5, 4.64 ERA) for the Padres.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

San Diego Padres catcher Elias Díaz, right, waits to tag out San Francisco Giants' Heliot Ramos at home during the sixth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Diego Padres' Brandon Lockridge, from left, celebrates with Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. after the Padres defeated the San Francisco Giants in a baseball game in San Francisco, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease works against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr., right, celebrates after hitting a two-run home run that also scored Luis Arraez (4) during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr., middle, celebrates with teammates during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr., right, hits a two-run home run in front of San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey during the first inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bryce Harper hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth inning to back up the strong pitching of Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1 on Tuesday night in a matchup of division leaders.

Nick Castellanos added a solo shot and Trea Turner went 3 for 5 to help the Phillies move closer to wrapping up the NL East title while delaying the Brewers’ NL Central championship celebration.

The Brewers’ magic number dropped to one with the Chicago Cubs’ 4-3 loss to the Oakland Athletics. The Phillies lowered their magic number for clinching the NL East to four, though their magic number merely to reach the postseason is down to one.

Philadelphia's victory Tuesday gave the Phillies (91-60) the tiebreaker advantage over the Brewers (87-64) as they jockey for potential playoff seeding.

“We needed a win here for sure,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We'll try and win the series tomorrow, but just getting the tiebreaker over these guys I think is going to be huge coming down the stretch.”

Wheeler (16-6) allowed only four hits and one run in seven innings while striking out six and walking none. Wheeler, who lowered his ERA to 2.56, has worked at least six innings while giving up no more than two runs in each of his last nine starts.

“I just try to go six or seven every time, at least that,” Wheeler said. “If I go more, that's awesome. Try to do that, save our bullpen. It adds up over the season, where they get those innings saved in the bullpen. We need them for this stretch right now.”

Wheeler's 16 wins rank him second in the NL to Atlanta's Chris Sale, Wheeler's main competition for the Cy Young Award.

“He's the Cy Young, man," Harper said. “I said it out there. I don't think anyone in baseball is better than him at this point. I don't think anybody in the National League is, either. People down in Atlanta probably think the same thing about the guy throwing down there. I thought he got robbed of it three years ago (when Wheeler finished second to Corbin Burnes). I believe he earned it this year.”

The score was tied at 1-all until Harper sent a 1-1 pitch from Frankie Montas over the wall in left-center for his 29th homer of the season. Harper’s two-run shot also scored Kyle Schwarber, who led off with an infield single.

Montas (7-11) struck out 10 batters in 5 2/3 innings while allowing three runs, six hits and two walks.

Philadelphia extended the lead to 4-1 in the seventh as Schwarber hit a ball that went off a leg of pitcher Aaron Ashby and headed into shallow right field for an RBI single after Edmundo Sosa's leadoff double.

Turner added a two-out RBI single in the ninth.

“They’ve got two of the best power hitters in the game and a couple of other guys who are among the top hitters in the game, so you can’t give them anything," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. "You have to keep the pressure on, and we couldn’t do that.”

Castellanos led off the second inning with a 430-foot drive over the wall in left-center for his 21st homer of the season. The Phillies put runners on first and second later in the second before Montas struck out Cal Stevenson to end the inning.

The Brewers tied it in the fourth, as William Contreras singled and scored on Garrett Mitchell’s triple to right center, but the Brewers stranded Mitchell at third.

TRAINER'S ROOM

The Phillies reinstated Sosa from the 10-day injured list and optioned IF Buddy Kennedy to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. In another move, the Phillies sent C Aramis Garcia outright to Lehigh Valley after he cleared waivers. Garcia had been designated for assigment Sunday.

Manager Rob Thomson said OF Austin Hays ran at full intensity Tuesday for the first time since going on the injured list with a kidney infection on Sept. 5. Thomson said the infection has gone away.

UP NEXT

RHP Aaron Nola (12-8, 3.62 ERA) pitches for the Phillies and RHP Freddy Peralta (11-8, 3.75) starts for the Brewers when this three-game series concludes Wednesday night.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper is congratulated by Nick Castellanos after hitting a two-run homr run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Brewers' William Contreras hits a single during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber hits an RBI single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Matt Strahm throws during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Brewers' Garrett Mitchell reacts after hitting an RBI triple during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Brewers' Garrett Mitchell hits an RBI triple during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Brewers' Jackson Chourio hits a single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper reacts after hitting a two-run homr run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper hits a two-run homr run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)