Padres Edge Marlins 2-1 in Nail-Biter

In a tightly contested matchup, the San Diego Padres clinched a 2-1 victory against the Miami Marlins on Monday night, thanks to key hits from Jackson Merrill and Martín Maldonado in the second inning.

Merrill initiated the scoring with an RBI single that brought Xander Bogaerts home. Following that, Maldonado delivered a double down the left field line, allowing Merrill to score from first base, extending the Padres' lead to 2-0.

The Marlins responded in the fourth inning when Kyle Stowers launched a solo home run off Padres starter Randy Vásquez, narrowing the gap to 2-1. Stowers, who has been on fire with an MLB-leading 12 homers since June 22, connected on a 1-0 changeup, sending it soaring 400 feet to left-center for his 22nd home run of the season.

Vásquez's performance included one run allowed on seven hits, with one walk and no strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings. He exited the game with a runner on first and one out in the fifth, where Adrian Morejon (8-4) stepped in to secure the final two outs of the inning. Robert Suarez then closed out the game, earning his 29th save.

On the other side, Eury Pérez struck out five batters while allowing two runs on five hits across five innings of work.

Xavier Edwards stood out for Miami, collecting three of the team's eight hits. However, the Marlins struggled with runners in scoring position, finishing 0 for 5 in those situations.

After Edwards reached base with a single against Vásquez, Morejon struck out Jesús Sánchez and forced Otto Lopez into a groundout to end the fifth inning.

This game marked the 56th time this season that the Padres have played in a contest decided by two runs or fewer, including seven of their last ten games—ranking them second in the majors for such close encounters.

Looking ahead, RHP Edward Cabrera (3-4, 3.61) is set to take the mound for the Marlins on Tuesday, while San Diego has yet to announce their starting pitcher.