The Arizona Diamondbacks came one step closer to ensuring a postseason spot as they defeated the San Diego Padres, 5-1 in afternoon action at Petco Park.
Joe Saunders earned his 12th win of the season for the D-backs, going 8 2/3 innings before getting pulled in favor of J.J. Putz, who locked down his 41st save of the 2011 campaign.
Miguel Montero and Paul Goldschmidt both homered for Arizona, who improved to 88-65 on the season. Goldschmidt's three RBI paced the team, driving in runs in the 4th, 7th and 9th innings to pad the lead.
With Milwaukee also winning today, the D-backs are still two games behind the Brewers for homefield in the first round of the playoffs. This was a big win for Arizona, who has only won six of their last ten games while the San Francisco Giants have won eight in a row.
There are now nine games left in the regular season, and the Diamondbacks are five games ahead of the Giants for the NL West pennant. The two teams meet for a three game series in Phoenix on September 23-25, games that will certainly mean something.
For more on the D-backs, check out AZ Snake Pit.