Padres Set Franchise Record With Victory Over Marlins

The Padres are on a hot streak.

Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

With a 9-8 win over the Miami Marlins Saturday, the San Diego Padres are now 16-2 in their last 18 games, the first time in franchise history the Padres have won 16 of 18 games, per Sammy Levitt.

Final in 10 innings: Padres 9, Marlins 8

The Padres are 16-2 in their last 18 games -- the first time in franchise history they've won 16 games in an 18-game span.

— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) August 10, 2024

Heading into Sunday's game against the Marlins, the Padres are riding a seven-game winning streak. The team earned two wins over the Colorado Rockies, swept the Pirates, and head into Sunday's contest with a chance to earn a second straight sweep.

Over this 18-game stretch, the Padres' only other loss has come against the Baltimore Orioles, one of MLB's best teams. Still, the Padres won the series against the Orioles and also won both their games against the Los Angeles Dodgers and swept the Washington Nationals.

Amid a tight race for the National League West crown, the Padres have shown up strong. The Padres currently hold a 66-52 record, trailing the West-leading Dodgers by 2.5 games. The Arizona Diamondbacks are just a game behind the Padres with a 65-53 record, which has forced the Padres to play their best to remain in contention.

What has been impressive about the Padres' play over this span has been the team's ability to come through in the clutch. The Padres have won seven of these games by two runs or fewer, and their last two wins against the Marlins came during extra innings.

Padres rookie Jackson Merrill has engineered three of these comebacks over the past week by hitting a game-tying home run in the eighth or ninth inning during the Padres' two wins over the Marlins, and a 9-8 win over the Pirates on Wednesday.

The rookie Merrill had already been unbelievable all season, but his clutch home runs over this stretch have already made him a Padres favorite. Since the start of August, in which the Padres have won seven of their last eight games, Merrill is slashing .393/.441/.964 with a 1.405 OPS, 11 hits, nine runs, four home runs, and 10 RBIs. Overall on the season, Merrill is now up to .294/.326/.488 with 17 home runs and 64 RBIs.

Padres' Manny Machado has also been a player coming up clutch. Machado has at least one RBI in each of his last four games, and has been a key part of the Padres' success since the All-Star break in July.

After the Padres finish up their series against the Marlins, they return home to face the Pittsburgh Pirates again before going back on the road for another divisional series against the Rockies.