MIAMI — It mattered Tuesday.
The Padres had been having better at-bats for much of the past week.
It had not always meant victory. They arrived on the final stop of this three-city trip having won three and lost three.
But they had not gone long stretches without runs, as they have so often this season. They had made it uncomfortable for opposing pitchers, as they rarely have this season.
And for the opener of a three-game series, at least, being resilient meant being winners.
The Padres played catch-up all night, ultimately catching up in the seventh inning and running away in the ninth for a 9-4 victory over the Marlins.
Fernando Tatis Jr. began a five-run ninth inning with a leadoff walk, stole second and went to third on a throw that bounced into center field. He scored on Xander Bogaerts’ single up the middle. Juan Soto, who was intentionally walked after Tatis moved to third, scored on Rougned Odor’s grounder to shortstop, and Odor and Bogaerts scored on Matt Carpenter’s second RBI double of the game. Brandon Dixon pinch-ran for Carpenter, went to third on Trent Grisham’s two-out single and scored on Ha-Seong Kim’s sacrifice fly.
The Padres trailed 1-0 after three innings, tied the game in the fourth on Odor’s walk and Carpenter’s double and went down 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth.
Kim walked, stole second and went to third on an errant throw and scored on Soto’s single to get one of the runs back in the fifth before the Marlins scored twice in the sixth.
Grisham and Kim began the seventh with walks against Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara, who was done after Tatis’ one-out single scored Grisham and moved Kim to second. Soto tied the game with a single off reliever Tanner Scott before Bogaerts and Odor struck out.
Padres starter Ryan Weathers was out after four innings, having thrown 96 pitches and allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks. Domingo Tapia worked a perfect fifth before walking the three batters he faced at the start of the sixth. Tim Hill replaced Tapia and allowed an RBI single before ending that inning.
Steven Wilson pitched a scoreless seventh, leaving a runner on third. Nick Martinez had runners at first and second with one out before escaping the eighth with a double play grounder.
Brent Honeywell worked a scoreless ninth.