SAN DIEGO — (AP) — Kyle Higashioka’s solo homer started a five-run rally against an ailing Max Fried with two outs in the second inning, and the San Diego Padres held on to sweep the Atlanta Braves with a 5-4 victory in Game 2 of their NL Wild Card Series on Wednesday night.
Manny Machado added a two-run double with the bases loaded and Jackson Merrill, a top contender for NL Rookie of the Year, followed with a two-run triple as the sellout crowd of 47,705 — the largest in Petco Park history — roared.
The Padres, who would love to win a World Series title in memory of late owner Peter Seidler, head up Interstate 5 to face Shohei Ohtani and the NL West rival Dodgers in a National League Division Series beginning Saturday evening at top-seeded Los Angeles.
San Diego eliminated the 111-win Dodgers in a 2022 NLDS.
Robert Suarez pitched a …