Padres hand Marlins 11th straight loss in 7-2 victory

MIAMI — The San Diego Padres accomplished a feat they hadn't achieved in nearly six weeks: winning a series away from Petco Park. Saturday afternoon's 7-2 victory over the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park finally changed that.

An unlikely hero delivered the game's biggest hit off the bench in the eighth inning. With left-hander Dax Fulton on the mound, Padres manager Craig Stammen called on 25-year-old Jase Bowen to pinch-hit for left-handed-hitting outfielder Gavin Sheets. Bowen wasted no time, lining the first pitch he saw into right field to score Ty France and Jackson Merrill, extending San Diego's lead to 6-1.

The two-run single was a bright spot in what has been a difficult rookie season for Bowen. The first-year outfielder entered the game batting just .132 in 53 at-bats across 35 games and has yet to record an extra base hit in his brief MLB career. 

France had a productive day out of the cleanup spot in the order for San Diego, going 2-for-4 and driving in three runs and posting his third multi-RBI performance since the All-Star break. The first baseman is up to 49 RBIs on the season, surpassing Fernando Tatis Jr. for second-most on the club. 

Merrill went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored, recording his fourth multi-hit game in his last seven starts.

Luis Rengifo, who was sent from Milwaukee to San Diego in a trade earlier this month, extended his hitting streak to seven games with a single his first at-bat against Perez. The newest Padre is hitting .458 with two homers and seven RBIs in eight games with San Diego. 

Left-hander JP Sears earned his third win of the season after replacing starter Randy Vasquez who exited the game in the third inning. The southpaw tossed 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three on 55 pitches. 

After reaching a season-best 10 games above .500, Miami has fallen off a cliff. The Marlins have dropped 11 straight games dating back to the last series prior to the All-Star break. The club has moved into a tie with San Diego at 52-53 on the season and sits 3.0 games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League.

Miami's lineup continues to struggle, scoring two runs or less for the eighth time in its last 11 games. The 3-7 hitters went 0-for-19 with three strikeouts in Saturday's loss. 

Eury Pérez made his 19th start of the season looking to snap the skid, matching his start total from a year ago. The young right-hander worked seven innings, allowing three runs while striking out two. The three earned runs were the most Pérez had allowed in a start since May 17, when he surrendered five over five innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.

San Diego will go for the sweep Sunday afternoon, sending veteran right-hander Walker Buehler to the mound for his 21st start of the season. Miami will turn to Janson Junk as it looks to snap its longest losing streak since 2011.