Ryan O’Hearn put life back into the San Diego Padres’ playoff hopes with a clutch bases-loaded double in a 7-3 win over the Chicago White Sox.

Jackson Merrill hit his 15th home run of the season in the top of the second inning. That was the only offense San Diego could muster through the first five innings. Then, the Padres found a much-needed spark in the sixth inning.

Jackson Merrill ties the game in Chicago with a solo blast 🚀 pic.twitter.com/p2p6jS47ZQ

— MLB (@MLB) September 20, 2025

The White Sox managed two runs against Yu Darvish through those first five innings. Darvish went 4.2 innings, allowing just those two runs. He left the game after giving up six hits and striking out four.

The Padres struggled offensively through the first five innings. Merrill hit his solo home run in the top of the second inning to tie the score 1-1. The White Sox added a run in the third to go up 2-1.

The score remained that way until the sixth inning. The Padres’ offense came alive with a four-run inning. O’Hearn added the exclamation point with a go-ahead bases-clearing double.

Ryan clears the bases! pic.twitter.com/3ScIzKNiSu

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 21, 2025

Manny Machado got the scoring started with an RBI single that allowed Fernando Tatis, Jr. to score from third base. Tatis led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He stole third base after his 31st swipe on the year.

Merrill and Ramon Laureano both drew walks to load the bases. With the bases loaded, O’Hearn got hold of a 94 mph fastball over the outer half of the plate. He sent a 105.8 mph line drive into the gap in left-center to clear the bases.

Luis Arraez added an insurance run with an RBI single in the top of the ninth, making the score 7-2.

Playoff chase stays tight

The Padres’ win over the White Sox extended their lead over the New York Mets in the Wild Card standings to four games. With seven games remaining, San Diego can’t clinch a playoff berth until sometime next week.

At the time this game ended, the Padres hold a five-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds and a 6.5 game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Padres’ magic number now sits at three.

Next up

The Padres close out their road schedule with a rubber match against the White Sox on Sunday, Sep. 21. Michael King takes the bump for San Diego. Sean Burke is expected to start for Chicago. The game is scheduled to begin at 11:10 a.m. PDT.

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.