SAN DIEGO - The Atlanta Braves got a whiff of October in late September.
The three-time reigning National League East Division champions fell behind the San Diego Padres three times - including on Manny Machado's grand slam - and came back each time to tie the game.
Because of their fight, they still hold a 1 1/2-game lead over the second-place Philadelphia Phillies in their division. Meanwhile, the underachieving Padres, already out of the NL West title race, won't reach the postseason as a wild card after a stunning collapse.
Jorge Soler hit a go-ahead double with one out in the 10th inning for his fourth RBI of the game, and the Braves won 10-8 on Saturday night while eliminating San Diego from playoff contention.
"That might have been one of the bigger, guttiest games I've ever seen a team play," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. "What they could have done after the grand slam and how they roared back and just kept pounding, man, that kind of defines who these guys are, what they're all about."
Snitker said the crowd of 39,026 at Petco Park - including many Braves fans - gave it the feel of a postseason game.
"At one point it felt like we were in a playoff situation, with the crowd going nuts," he said. "It was like a playoff game."
The Padres were one out from a win in regulation when Eddie Rosario hit a tying single off Mark Melancon, who was trying for his 39th save of the season and leads the majors in that category this season.
Soler, who hit a three-run homer in the sixth, then helped seal the biggest collapse in Padres history with his hit off Daniel Hudson (5-3) in the 10th. Ozzie Albies added a sacrifice fly, and the lead held.
"The energy was sky high, honestly, like I've never seen it before," Soler said through an interpreter. "We were working our way back to the clubhouse and people were hooting and hollering and screaming. It was a big win.
"It was a huge win, especially considering the fact it felt like we were playing behind the entire game. We kept overcoming the deficits and just kept battling back."
San Diego, led by superstars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Machado and with a payroll of more than $170 million, had a one-game lead for the second NL wild card on Sept. 9 but then went into a devastating freefall that cost the Padres a second consecutive postseason appearance.
Richard Rodriguez (5-4) worked the ninth for the pitching win, and Will Smith worked a perfect 10th for his 34th save this year.
After entering the season with World Series aspirations, the only thing left for the Padres (78-77) is to try to finish above .500. After Sunday's series finale against Atlanta, they conclude their season with a six-game road trip - three each against the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants. The Giants have a two-game lead on the Dodgers in the NL West.
"Obviously we fell short, and that's all that matters," Machado said. "We're all down about it. We were expecting something that didn't happen, but, hey, it's part of the game. It's part of the grind."
Adam Frazier and Eric Hosmer also homered for the Padres, and Victor Caratini hit a go-ahead single in the sixth inning of a game that had some big swings.
Machado's slam with two outs in the fifth gave San Diego a 7-3 lead. It was the 12th grand slam of his MLB career and the Padres' seventh this season. Machado has 27 homers this year.
The Braves came right back and tied it in the sixth when pinch-hitter Joc Pederson delivered an RBI double and Soler hit a three-run homer, all off Nabil Crismatt. It was Soler's 25th of 2021.
Caratini then regained the lead for the Padres with a single against Chris Martin.
All three Padres homers were off Atlanta starter Huascar Ynoa. Frazier hit a leadoff homer, his fifth, and Hosmer homered leading off the second, his 12th. Starting pitcher Vince Velasquez added an RBI groundout in the second.
The Braves tied it at 3 after consecutive RBI singles by Albies and Austin Riley in the third and an RBI single by Riley in the fifth.
Velasquez went three innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Ynoa allowed seven runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, struck out six batters and walked none.