Padres beat White Sox and can secure a playoff spot as early as Sunday – NBC 7 San Diego

In their flurry of trades at the MLB trade deadline, Martin Perez was the last player the Padres signed in a last-minute trade with Pittsburgh. At the time, it seemed like a redundant move to add some depth to the starting lineup.

This deal has become one of the main reasons why San Diego is close to the playoffs.

Perez was fantastic again in the Padres' 6-2 victory over the White Sox on Saturday night at Petco Park, throwing 5.1 innings with one run and six strikeouts. Perez has made nine starts since the trade, with San Diego winning eight of them. In his 13th major league season, the left-hander has established himself as a legitimate candidate to start a postseason game for the Padres.

Oh yeah, with the Braves beating the Marlins, the Padres' magic number is down to two, meaning they can officially clinch a playoff spot any day now. If they beat the Sox and Atlanta loses the final game of the series to the Marlins, there will be a huge party in the locker room at Petco Park on Sunday night.

Perez got offensive help from some big hits. In the 2nd inning, Xander Bogaerts slammed a Chris Flexen cutter 426 feet into the bullpen in left-center field, a 2-run hit that put the Friars up 2-0. In the bottom of the 4th inning, another veteran left the field. David Peralta hit a solo hit to deep right field to make it 3-0, which was more than enough for a win.

But it's fun to score points, so why really stop?

Jurickson Profar opened the 5th inning with a double and came home on an RBI single by Jackson Merrill. It's the 89th RBI of the year for the Padres rookie, who has done more than enough to earn the National League Rookie of the Year award. Things got a little more dicey in the 8th inning than the Friar Faithful had hoped.

Jason Adam, who has shown excellence out of the bullpen since being traded at the deadline, had a rare poor outing. Adam allowed a single and a walk and hit a batter to load the bases. He then walked Bryan Ramos to score a run and make the game 4-2. With one out and the bases still loaded, manager Mike Shildt brought in the other high-profile reliever from a deadline deal.

Tanner Scott did just what the doctor ordered. It took him two pitches to get Dominic Fletcher to make a 4-6-3 double play and end the threat. In the second half of the inning, another rookie brought a sigh of relief to the sold-out crowd.

Catcher Elias Diaz, who was signed after the Rockies let him go, hit his first home run in a Padres uniform. The 2-run shot made it 6-2 and got Scott through a scoreless 9th inning, giving the Friars a series win. They can win the series on Sunday afternoon with Yu Darvish (which would be the 22nd time the White Sox have been defeated this season).