MIAMI -- Manny Machado hit a game-tying homer in the eighth, and Jackson Merrill followed with the game-winning homer two batters later, as the Padres rallied for a 5-3 victory over the Marlins on Sunday afternoon.
Here’s some instant reaction from loanDepot Park, where San Diego completed its long road trip with a sweep of Miami:
This offense has come all the way to life
You can’t just ignore the first 2 1/2 months of the season. The Padres had the worst offense in the Majors during that stretch. But if you do ignore it -- and, again, you can’t -- the Padres have been a legitimate top-five offense since around mid-June.
They showed why on Sunday. Their struggling superstars are struggling no more. Machado drove in the game’s first run with an RBI double, then tied the game in the eighth with a two-run shot. Merrill followed two batters later with the go-ahead blast.
They’re both in the middle of their best stretches of the season. So is Jake Cronenworth, who had three hits on Sunday. Ty France had two. This suddenly feels like a fairly complete offense -- precisely what the Padres need, considering all the question marks in their rotation right now.
The heightened importance of Walker Buehler
In case you missed it, the Padres are trying something new in their rotation. They have, essentially, 11 relievers on their 13-man pitching staff. A handful of those relievers can fill the vacancies in the rotation when they arise. But when they do, they’ll be used more like long men.
There are now only two regular starters in the San Diego rotation: Michael King and Buehler. King, of course, has been the Padres’ ace all season. Buehler is a more interesting choice.
He’s been a starter his entire career. Given his elbow troubles, it was clearly best for his health for him to pitch on a more regular routine. But as much as anything, it’s a vote of confidence in Buehler (who was strong for most of the first half, then finished it in abysmal fashion).
The Padres are going to need Buehler to hold his own and keep some of the burden off the bullpen. As such, this was a fine outing. He allowed three runs (two earned) over 5 1/3 innings, tying a season high with seven strikeouts.
A crucial week ahead
Ultimately, this wasn’t the road trip the Padres were hoping for. But they salvaged it this weekend, finishing 5-5 after dropping series in Atlanta and Kansas City.
That puts them in an opportunistic position as they head home, entering the final week before the Trade Deadline. The Padres host the Rockies and Giants at Petco Park this week, and those six games might go a long way toward determining their Deadline fate.
It’s a crowded National League Wild Card picture. The Padres will spend the next week playing two sellers at the bottom of the standings. If there were ever a time to make up ground -- and to assert themselves as buyers -- it’s right now.