​In their final at-bat of their ceremonial first-half finale, the San Diego Padres produced their most productive inning of offense, delivering a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. The win gave San Diego its first series win of July and propelled them into the All-Star break at a .500 pace, with a 48-48 record. Mason Miller added to the celebration by securing his 25th save of the season, making him San Diego’s lone All-Star representative. With the break looming, the rest of the Padres will rest and reset as they eye a potential playoff push in the second half.
The Padres found themselves trailing 4-3 as they headed into the bottom of the eighth. Adrian Morejon surrendered a run in the top of the frame, his second inning of work, as Toronto turned to former closer Jeff Hoffman to protect the lead and set up a potential save situation for their new closer, Louis Varland. Xander Bogaerts opened the inning with an infield single and then swiped second base to create a scoring opportunity with Manny Machado coming to the plate. Machado delivered with a single to left-center, tying the game at 4-4.
Gavin Sheets grounded out to the shortstop, but Machado advanced to second on the play and was replaced by pinch-runner Jase Bowen. The rookie stole third, placing the winning run 90 feet away with Ty France at the plate and one out. France, who clubbed the decisive homer in the bottom of the sixth in the series’ second game, lifted a deep drive to right-center that carried to the warning track. Bowen tagged and scored from third on the fly, giving the Padres a 5-4 lead. Jake Cronenworth followed with a two-out single, yet the inning ended when Rodolfo Duran lined out to right field.
Miller came on for the save in the top of the ninth and dispatched the three batters in order. He induced Ernie Clement to ground out to third, got Myles Straw to pop out to second, and ended the game by striking out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on three pitches with a slider that cut across the strike zone and finished in the left-handed batter’s box. Miller needed only eight pitches, seven for strikes, to preserve the win and supply San Diego with momentum heading into the second half.
Machado’s clutch hit in the bottom of the eighth was his third of the game. He finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Cronenworth joined him with a multi-hit effort, going 2-for-4 with an RBI—his tally coming in the second inning to spark the Padres’ first scoring swing of the game. German Marquez started for San Diego and pitched four innings, surrendering three runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts. The Blue Jays benefited from three home runs, with each of their runs coming via the long ball. Marquez allowed a solo homer in the first inning, and the other two runs came on compatriot shots that proved costly for the Padres.