The San Diego Padres had a night to forget, losing 7-4 to the Minnesota Twins on Aug. 29 at Target Field.

A costly error in the fourth inning led to four runs for Minnesota. With the bases loaded and no one out, Jake Cronenworth allowed a routine grounder to get past. The mistake allowed two runs to score, and the Twins went ahead 3-2. Trevor Larnach added an RBI single that scored two more runs.

The loss is San Diego’s third in the last four games. The Padres are fighting for playoff positioning as the season heads into its final month. San Diego currently holds the second Wild Card in the National League.

When the game started, the Padres trailed the Chicago Cubs by a game for the first Wild Card. At the same time, they trailed the Los Angeles Dodgers by two games for the NL West division lead. The Padres will have to forget about playoff games at Petco Park if they can’t clinch the fourth seed or higher.

San Diego attempted a comeback in the seventh inning. Fernando Tatis, Jr. hit a grounder up the middle with the bases loaded to score two runs. His RBI single cut the deficit to 7-4. However, Luis Arraez followed by hitting a line drive to second baseman Luke Keaschall. Tatis was doubled off at first.

Gavin Sheets led the Padres with three hits, including a double. Sheets is hitting .364 in his last 10 games. Center fielder Jackson Merrill is expected back from the Injured List sometime next week. When he returns, Mike Schildt will have to make tough decisions when he makes his lineups.

The Padres and Twins will continue their three-game series with Game 2 on Aug. 30. Nick Pivetta will take the bump against Minnesota right-hander Taj Bradley. The game is scheduled to begin at 4:10 p.m. PDT from Target Field.

Mike Ursery

Mike is the sports editor for the Fayette Advertiser, and has been with East Village Times since 2015. His work has appeared on Bleacher Report. He is an avid Padres fan who is keeping the faith and trusting the process.