PHOENIX (Interstat) — Ty France homered twice and drove in two runs Saturday to lead the San Diego Padres to a 6-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, improving the Padres to 18-8 while dropping Arizona to 14-12.

France, who entered the game in a 2-for-12 slump over his previous four starts, went 2 for 4 with a solo home run in the fifth inning and a third-inning lineout before crushing his second homer in the ninth. His two-run blast in the fifth pulled San Diego within one run after Arizona had jumped ahead with a four-run second inning, and his ninth-inning solo shot provided an insurance run that sealed the win.

The Diamondbacks struck early against Padres starter Germán Márquez. With one out in the second, Ildemaro Vargas singled and Nolan Arenado followed with a single that deflected off third baseman Manny Machado, putting runners on first and second. Jose Fernandez then doubled to center, driving in both Vargas and Arenado to give Arizona a 2-0 lead. Alek Thomas followed with a two-run homer to right, his second of the season, scoring Fernandez and making it 4-0.

Márquez settled after that, allowing only two more hits over the next four innings. He finished with a line of six innings, six hits, four earned runs, two walks and two strikeouts, earning his third win against one loss.

Arizona starter Zac Gallen pitched three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three before exiting. Taylor Clarke took the loss after surrendering a run in the seventh, falling to 1-1.

San Diego’s comeback began in the fifth when France launched a 1-0 pitch over the right-center field wall, cutting the deficit to 4-1.

The decisive rally came in the seventh inning. Jackson Merrill walked, Machado singled and Xander Bogaerts walked to load the bases. Gavin Sheets then greeted reliever Clarke with a sharp single to right that scored Merrill and Machado, pulling the Padres within 4-3. Bogaerts advanced to second on the play. France then reached on a fielder’s choice when shortstop Geraldo Perdomo committed a fielding error, allowing Bogaerts to move to third and Sheets to second. Freddy Fermin followed with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Bogaerts to tie the game at 4-4. Jake Cronenworth was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Ramón Laureano lifted a sacrifice fly to right that scored Sheets. Right fielder Corbin Carroll misplayed the throw for an error, allowing France to advance to third. Taylor Clarke intentionally walked Fernando Tatis Jr. to reload the bases, but Merrill grounded out to end the inning. San Diego had taken a 5-4 lead.

The bullpen made the lead stand. Adrian Morejon pitched a scoreless seventh, allowing one hit and striking out two. Jason Adam worked a clean eighth, and Mason Miller closed the ninth with a perfect inning, striking out none but earning his 10th save of the season. Miller induced two groundouts and a flyout.

In the ninth, France added his second homer, a leadoff shot to right off reliever Jonathan Loáisiga. The Padres added another run on a fielding error by shortstop Ildemaro Vargas, but a baserunning mistake by Ramón Laureano, thrown out at third by Carroll on a Tatis single, ended the inning.

Attendance was announced at 19,630, and the game lasted 2 hours, 52 minutes.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of San Diego 8, Arizona 5. Interstat’s ELO system gave San Diego a 52.20 percent probability to win. Arizona had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total of 10 runs went over the over/under line of 15.5.