Needing a miracle over the final 10 games of the regular season, the San Diego Padres get to use their wild card in the National League wild-card race when they open, in essence, a four-game home series against the Atlanta Braves on Friday afternoon.
The day will begin with the Padres (77-75) sixgames out of the National League's final playoff spot, but could end with San Diego chopping two games off the deficit if all goes well.
That would require two losses by the St. Louis Cardinals (83-69) in a road doubleheader in Chicago against the Cubs, and then a Padres sweep of a suspended game and the regularly scheduled game against the Braves on the West Coast.