SAN FRANCISCO -- For the first time in 15 years, the Padres arrived at the ballpark on Wednesday with a chance to move into first place at so late a juncture of their season.

They did their part -- handling the Giants en route to a 5-1 victory , their 13th in the last 16 games. The Dodgers' subsequent loss to the Angels in Anaheim moved San Diego into a tie for first place in the division for the first time at any point in the second half of the season since 2010.

At this point, the Padres’ reality is: Any win is ground gained … somewhere . With Tuesday’s win, they also moved into a tie with the Cubs for the top Wild Card spot and home-field advantage in their first playoff series. They moved within a game and a half of the Phillies, who currently occupy the second first-round by

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