San Diego Padres vs Minnesota Twins

San Diego, CA — Randy Vasquez turned in his second quality start in three outings and Ty France drove in three runs, including a two-run homer, as the San Diego Padres (69-60) defeated the Minnesota Twins (63-66) 6-2 on Friday night at Petco Park.

The win snapped a two-game losing skid for the Padres and lifted them to 38-26 at home, while the Twins dropped their third straight contest after taking two of three from Atlanta earlier in the week.

France put the Padres on the board in the bottom of the first inning. After Fernando Tatis Jr. led off with a double, France crushed a 2-0 four-seam fastball from Connor Prielipp — 107.4 mph off the bat, travelling 421 feet to left field — for his 18th home run of the season. San Diego led 2-0 after one.

The Twins answered in the fourth. Byron Buxton and Josh Bell both reached base and Kody Clemens cleared them with a two-out triple to left-centre, tying the game 2-2.

San Diego broke it open in the fifth. Austin Hays singled and Jake Cronenworth walked before the top of the order went to work. Tatis Jr. singled home Hays, Luis Rengifo singled home Cronenworth, Manny Machado singled home Tatis, and France added a sacrifice fly to score Rengifo. When the inning ended, the Padres had plated four runs on four hits and two walks, opening a 6-2 lead they never relinquished.

The fifth-inning rally was decisive not just for the runs scored, but for how it unfolded. Prielipp had cruised through the second and third innings after France's first-inning blast, retiring six of seven batters. But the Padres got to him the second time through the order: Hays (batting seventh) and Cronenworth (ninth) set the table, and the 1-2-3 hitters — Tatis, Rengifo and Machado — each delivered. Prielipp exited after six innings charged with eight hits and six earned runs, his ERA rising to 5.57.

Randy Vasquez (W, 9-6) threw seven innings of two-hit ball, striking out three without issuing a walk. He needed only 87 pitches (58 strikes) and induced eight ground-ball outs against five fly-ball outs. Since his last loss on July 27, Vasquez has a 3.10 ERA over his past five starts.

Ty France reached base in all four plate appearances: the two-run homer, two walks and a sacrifice fly. He finished 1-for-1 with three RBI and a run scored.

Fernando Tatis Jr. collected three hits in four at-bats, including his 27th double and an RBI single, scoring once.

Mason Miller closed the door with a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out all three Twins hitters he faced. Miller's ERA stands at 0.84 with 31 saves on the season.

San Diego outhit Minnesota 9-2, but the gap in scoring chances was even wider. The Twins managed only two base runners total after the fourth inning, and Vasquez retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced. The Padres, by contrast, put the leadoff man on in four of eight innings and drew four walks against two for Minnesota. San Diego's bullpen — Bradgley Rodriguez and Mason Miller — combined for two perfect innings with four strikeouts.

Prielipp (3-7) struck out seven in six innings but was undone by hard contact: the Padres' four-run fifth included three singles and a sacrifice fly, and France's first-inning homer had an exit velocity of 107.4 mph.

The Padres improved to 69-60, maintaining second place in the NL West. They have won seven of their last nine at Petco Park. The Twins dropped to 63-66, 7.5 games back in the AL Central race, and have lost three straight for the second time this month.

San Diego continues its homestand Saturday with game two of this interleague series. Minnesota will send a starter to be announced against a Padres pitcher yet to be named, with first pitch scheduled for 8:40 PM ET / 5:40 PM PT at Petco Park.

Vasquez set the tone early, the Padres' lineup wore down Prielipp in the fifth, and the bullpen was untouchable. San Diego looks like a team peaking at the right time; Minnesota's path to contention gets steeper by the day.