MIAMI -- The San Diego Padres rallied in the eighth with home runs from Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill to defeat the Marlins 5-3 and complete a three-game sweep at loanDepot park on Sunday afternoon, handing Miami a franchise-record 12th straight loss.
Trailing 3-1 late, San Diego leaned on its superstars to complete its first sweep since June 22-24 against the Atlanta Braves. Machado delivered the game-tying blast, driving a full-count fastball from Miami reliever Lake Bachar just over the wall in right-center field for his team-leading 23th home run of the season to even the game at three.
Mr. 305 🌴 pic.twitter.com/4mGXWsYeeQ
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 26, 2026
Two batters later, Merrill put San Diego in front with a 395-foot solo homer to right for his 15th of the season.
Madness in Miami. pic.twitter.com/djLdkKYy9W
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 26, 2026
After an underwhelming first half, the seven-time All-Star has looked like himself again at the plate. Machado has launched seven home runs with a .975 OPS in July and is slashing .291/.380/.595 over his last 21 games, raising his batting average 20 points from .190 to .210 during that span.
San Diego's franchise cornerstones have surged after the club owned one of the worst offenses in the majors through the first two and a half months of the season. The heart of the Padres' lineup fueled Sunday's victory, with hitters batting second through sixth combining for 11 of the club's 13 hits, four of them going for extra bases. Jake Cronenworth collected singles in three consecutive at-bats while Ty France and the red-hot Luis Rengifo each picked up two hits.
Rengifo has been on a tear since being acquired from Milwaukee earlier this month, batting .433 (13-for-30) with seven RBIs, highlighted by a go-ahead pinch hit two-run homer in Friday's 4-2 win over Miami.
With so many questions surrounding the starting rotation, San Diego's resurgent offense has been vital as the club tries to claw its way back into a tightly packed National League Wild Card race.
San Diego's back end continues to be a major bright spot for the club. The bullpen tossed 4.2 innings scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and one walk. Flamethrowing closer Mason Miller slammed the door with a 1-2-3 ninth for his National League leading 28th save of the season. The right-hander fired nine pitches that cleared 100 mph and lowered his minuscule ERA to 0.81 in 44.2 innings this season.
Walker Buehler recorded a season-high seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings while allowing three runs (two earned). Miami first baseman Kyle Stowers launched a solo shot off Buehler in the third, marking the 14th homer the 31-year-old has allowed this season. The veteran righty will need to find ways to go deeper into games in order to limit the bullpen's usage down the stretch.
The Padres move to 53-53 on the season and sit 2.0 games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final playoff spot in the National League. After opening the road trip with a 2-5 record, San Diego salvaged a .500 finish by winning three straight to close out the 10-game road swing at 5-5.
After climbing to a season-best 10 games above .500 with a series sweep of the Seattle Mariners before the All-Star break, Miami's 12-game losing streak has dropped the club to 52-54, two games under .500 and three games out of a National League Wild Card spot.
This upcoming week could ultimately decide the Padres' season. San Diego returns to Petco Park for a six-game homestand against the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies, two NL West clubs near the bottom of the standings. The next two series at Petco Park will shape how president of baseball operations A.J. Preller decides how to navigate the approaching Aug. 3 Trade Deadline. A strong week could entice San Diego's front office to bolster the starting rotation and assert themselves as a contender in the National League.