SAN DIEGO—Jurickson Profar hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning, and the San Diego Padres rallied late to beat the Minnesota Twins 7–5 on Tuesday night.
“Hard-fought, back-and-forth game,” Padres Manager Mike Shildt said. “The guys did a really nice job of taking some really, really quality at-bats at the end of the game.”
Manny Machado also went deep as San Diego won its second straight against Minnesota in a matchup of playoff contenders. Jake Cronenworth had two hits and scored two runs.
“This team has been doing it all year, and we are going to continue to do it,” Machado said, referencing comeback victories. “We are just having a good time when we are playing.”
The Padres trailed 5–3 before Profar drove a low slider from Steven Okert (3–2) to left field. Donovan Solano and Luis Arraez singled ahead of Profar’s 20th homer.
“That’s the No. 1 thing that switched this year for me,“ said the switch-hitting Profar. ”I play baseball with my instincts. ... You guys are seeing the real Profar playing baseball. I play baseball with a lot of confidence right now.”
Xander Bogaerts tacked on an RBI double against Ronny Henriquez, giving San Diego an insurance run.
“Some nights it might not be pretty, but this year we have been able to find a way, for sure,” Bogaerts said. “What we have been doing is pretty remarkable.”
Tanner Scott (8–5) got the win despite allowing two runs and four hits in the eighth. Robert Suarez handled the ninth for his 29th save.
The red-hot Padres improved to 22–5 in their past 27 games. They have won nine of their past 10 series, and nine of their past 10 home games.
“When we come home and play in front of this crowd, it just gives us that extra motivation, that extra power that we need, and strength,” Machado said. “It has been fun playing at home.”
Ryan Jeffers had two hits and two RBIs for Minnesota in its third consecutive loss. Carlos Santana had two hits and scored two runs.
The Twins grabbed a 5–3 lead in the top of the eighth on Christian Vázquez’s pinch-hit single off Scott. Vázquez’s liner to left drove in Royce Lewis and Santana.
Twins right-hander Bailey Ober was charged with three runs and four hits in six-plus innings.
Ober was working with a 3–1 lead before he gave up Machado’s two-run homer in the seventh. The drive to center field was Machado’s 20th homer of the season.
“I have been missing pitches all week,” Machado said. “I was just lucky to get that one and barrel it up and hit it more than 90 feet. I think it was one of the [few] mistakes he made all game. He was dealing. He had us off balance with his changeups and off speed.”
San Diego jumped in front when Jackson Merrill doubled and scored on David Peralta’s two-out single in the second. But the Twins responded with two runs in the fourth against Martín Pérez.
Santana hit a leadoff double and scored on Jeffers’ 20th homer, a drive to left on a first-pitch cutter.
