Where Padres Stand in Wild-Card Race After Devastating Sweep to Rays

Everything that could go wrong for the San Diego Padres this weekend did.

The Padres were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays, losing the final two games — and their key utility man — in brutal fashion.

Following the three-game sweep that ended in heartbreaking walk-off fashion on Sunday, the Padres are now on the outside looking in for the final wild-card spot in the National League.

The Padres (72-65) are a half-game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks (73-65) for the third wild-card spot and 4.5 games back of the Philadelphia Phillies for the second spot. San Diego remains three games up on the Miami Marlins, who are still trying to get into the playoff picture.

While Saturday's loss was brutal, as the Padres blew a three-run lead in the seventh inning and lost Luis Rengifo to a knee sprain that forced him to get carted off the field, Sunday somehow hit a new low.

For eight innings, the Padres played great baseball, and had a 3-1 lead heading into the ninth. The one blip came in the top of the seventh inning, when both Fernando Tatis Jr. and manager Craig Stammen were ejected.

The Tatis ejection proved to be costly, as in the top of the ninth inning, the Padres had a runner on second base with two outs and the No. 9 spot up. The Rays elected to walk Sung-Mun Song, bringing up Jase Bowen, who replaced Tatis in the leadoff spot after the ejection.

Bowen struck out looking.

Still, the Padres had a 3-1 lead at that time, and were giving the ball to Mason Miller to win the game.

Miller allowed a leadoff single and then retired the next two batters, bringing up Jonny DeLuca as the tying run.

DeLuca hit a ball to left field, which Samad Taylor seemed to track down. However, the ball came out of his glove when he collided with the wall and became a game-tying, two-run home run.

Johnny DeLuca has tied the game for the Rays with a 2 run home run off Mason Miller. Unbelievable

Samad Taylor can't make the catch#padres pic.twitter.com/QLB2LJXS5W
— Padres Central (@PadresCentral_) August 30, 2026

Samad Taylor had the last out in his glove, ran into the wall, and it came out of his glove and over it for a 2 run home run. Rays tie it in the 9th

Unbelievable#padres pic.twitter.com/9d1ZbK5wfD
— Padres Central (@PadresCentral_) August 30, 2026

The game ended up going to extra innings, where neither team scored in the 10th inning.

The Padres then scored the ghost runner in the top of the 11th inning, and handed the ball to David Morgan to save the game.

After getting a strikeout, Morgan gave up a bloop single and an intentional walk to load the bases. DeLuca then hit a grounder to shortstop that Xander Bogaerts bobbled, allowing the Rays to tie the game at four.

Xander Bogaerts can't field a routine ground ball, and Jonny DeLuca has tied the game again for the Rays, this time in extras (11th)#padres pic.twitter.com/CoEVn6Mt5k
— Padres Central (@PadresCentral_) August 30, 2026

The very next batter, Jorge Mateo, ripped a walk-off over Taylor's head, putting the final nail in the coffin in a brutal weekend for the Padres.

Taylor had to be consoled by Jackson Merrill as he walked off the field. Morgan screamed into his glove in the dugout before taking it off and throwing it into the wall in disgust.

The Padres will now get on a plane and travel to Cincinnati, where they begin a three-game series with the Reds on Monday night.

They'll just be happy to get out of Tampa Bay.

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