Jul 21, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Martin Maldonado (15) and relief pitcher Robert Suarez (75) celebrate their win against the Miami Marlins following the game at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
Miami, Florida – The Padres didn’t need fireworks Monday night—they just needed a couple of clutch swings and a bullpen that held the line.
San Diego eked out a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins at Petco Park, riding early offense from Jackson Merrill and Martín Maldonado, plus a solid performance from the bullpen, to take the opener of the three-game set.
All of the Padres’ offense came in the second inning. Xander Bogaerts led off with a single, and Merrill cashed him in with a clean RBI single to center. Two batters later, Maldonado ripped a double down the left field line, scoring Merrill all the way from first and giving the Friars an early 2-0 lead.
That would be all they needed.
Randy Vásquez gave San Diego 4 1/3 innings of bend-but-don’t-break pitching. The right-hander scattered seven hits and allowed just one run—a solo homer to Kyle Stowers in the fourth. Vásquez didn’t record a strikeout, but he kept the Marlins off balance and avoided the big inning.
Stowers, who leads the majors with 12 home runs since June 22, crushed a 1-0 changeup 400 feet to left-center for his 22nd of the season. But that was the only damage Miami could muster.
Adrian Morejon (8-4) entered with one out and a runner on in the fifth and retired both batters he faced to preserve the lead. The Padres’ bullpen took it from there. Four relievers combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings, capped by Robert Suarez’s clean ninth for his 29th save of the season.
Offensively, the Padres managed just five hits, but they made them count. Merrill and Maldonado each had RBIs, while Bogaerts and Fernando Tatis Jr. chipped in singles. It wasn’t flashy, but it was enough.
Eury Pérez (3-3) took the loss for Miami despite a respectable outing. The 6-foot-8 right-hander struck out five and allowed two runs over five innings. Xavier Edwards led the Marlins with three hits, but Miami went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven men on base.
The win improves the Padres to 54-45 as they look to keep pace in a tightly packed National League Wild Card race. With pitching carrying the load, San Diego continues to find ways to win the close ones.
The series continues Tuesday night with Dylan Cease scheduled to take the mound. After Monday’s grinder, the Padres will take the win—and the momentum.
