Padres miss crucial chance as Tigers hit late slam

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres have won all manner of close games this season, and their bullpen has been so utterly reliable since it added several key pieces at last month’s Trade Deadline.

So what happened in Thursday’s series finale against Detroit at Petco Park didn’t merely qualify as a surprise. It was downright stunning.

With the Tigers trailing by three runs and down to their final strike, Parker Meadows launched a go-ahead grand slam against San Diego closer Robert Suarez. Detroit would hold on for a 4-3 victory -- a blow for the Padres in the playoff picture.

Veteran left-hander Martín Pérez provided 6 1/3 scoreless frames, before Jason Adam and Tanner Scott nailed down the seventh and eighth, respectively. But Suarez, pitching for the fourth time in five days, surrendered the lead in the ninth. He allowed a leadoff single to Justyn-Henry Malloy, then a pair of walks, before Meadows went the other way with a 101-mph fastball.

With the loss, the Padres missed a glorious chance to gain ground in the playoff race. The Braves and Diamondbacks had lost, while the Dodgers and Mets had the night off. Instead, San Diego dropped five games behind L.A. in the National League West race, while maintaining its half-game edge on Arizona for the top Wild Card spot -- three games up on both New York and Atlanta.