Padres' Laureano to Miss Wild-Card Series

The Padres fell 3-1 to the Milwaukee Brewers, dropping to 87-72 and leaving them behind the Cubs and Dodgers in the playoff race as they head into the final regular-season series. Ramón Laureano exited after a long at-bat and was diagnosed with a fractured right index finger; manager Mike Shildt said he will miss at least the NL Wild Card Series and could be out longer. Bryce Johnson replaced Laureano in right field during the game, while Gavin Sheets is the likely primary replacement and a formal injured-list move is expected before the postseason. Laureano, acquired from Baltimore at the July 31 trade deadline, finished the regular season hitting .281/.342/.512 with 24 homers and had been a key offensive addition for San Diego. The loss featured strong pitching from Dylan Cease and a game-tying homer from Jackson Merrill, but Brice Turang’s go-ahead RBI and Danny Jansen’s ninth-inning homer provided the margin in a game that leaves the Padres with lineup uncertainty, including Fernando Tatis Jr.’s absence due to illness.