SAN DIEGO (Interstat) — Ty France drove in four runs with a double and a triple to lead the San Diego Padres past the Chicago Cubs 9-7 on Monday night at PETCO Park.

France’s go-ahead, two-run triple in the seventh inning snapped a 6-6 tie and powered the Padres to their 17th victory in 21 games. San Diego improved to 19-9, matching the best 28-game start in franchise history. The Padres are 18-5 in April, a .783 winning percentage that stands as the best April mark in club annals.

Manny Machado had three hits and scored three times for San Diego. Gavin Sheets added a solo home run in the eighth inning, providing a critical insurance run that made it 9-5.

The Cubs, who entered the night with a 17-11 record, fell to 17-12. Chicago had won four of its previous five games but could not overcome an early deficit or a resilient Padres bullpen.

San Diego starter Randy Vásquez earned the win, improving to 3-0. He worked five innings, allowing five runs on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks. Vásquez struggled with command at times but was buoyed by an offense that pounded out 14 hits.

Chicago starter Matthew Boyd lasted only two innings, surrendering three runs on three hits. Boyd walked three and struck out one. Ben Brown relieved Boyd and tossed two scoreless innings, giving up two hits with one strikeout, but was charged with the loss after the Padres broke through later. Brown fell to 1-1.

The Padres seized control in the first inning. Ramon Laureano walked to open the bottom half, and after Fernando Tatis Jr. grounded out, Jackson Merrill singled to right to bring home Laureano. Machado followed with a single, putting runners at the corners. Xander Bogaerts lined out, but Miguel Andujar walked to load the bases. France then greeted the Cubs with a ground-rule double to left-center that cleared the bases, scoring Merrill, Machado and Andujar for a 3-0 lead.

Chicago answered quickly. In the top of the second, Seiya Suzuki crushed a solo homer to left-center, his fifth of the season, cutting the deficit to 3-1.

The Cubs erupted in the third. After Nico Hoerner grounded out and Michael Busch struck out, Alex Bregman walked. Ian Happ singled to put two on, and Suzuki singled to load the bases. Moisés Ballesteros then launched a grand slam to right field, his fifth homer of the year, giving Chicago a 5-3 lead. Ballesteros finished the night 1-for-4 with four RBIs.

San Diego chipped away in the third. Machado doubled to left, Bogaerts singled, and Andujar grounded into a forceout that scored Machado, cutting the Cubs’ lead to 5-4.

The Padres tied the game in the fifth. Machado led off with his second double of the night, a sharp line drive to left. Bogaerts grounded out, Andujar popped out, but France walked. Nick Castellanos then singled to center, plating Machado and France to make it 6-6.

The score remained deadlocked until the seventh. Bogaerts singled off Cubs reliever Jacob Webb, and Andujar singled to put runners at first and second. France then greeted Webb with a triple to left field, scoring both runners and giving San Diego an 8-6 lead. Webb allowed one earned run on one hit in his inning of work.

Sheets added insurance in the eighth, homering to right off Cubs reliever Julian Merryweather to push the lead to 9-6.

The Cubs mounted a rally in the ninth. Matt Shaw singled, Dansby Swanson singled, and Pete Crow-Armstrong singled to load the bases with no outs. Hoerner grounded into a forceout, scoring Shaw and cutting the lead to 9-7. Busch grounded out, moving Hoerner to third, but Bregman struck out swinging to end the game.

San Diego relievers Jason Adam and Adrian Morejon combined for three scoreless innings. Adam threw 1 1/3 innings, allowing no hits with one strikeout. Morejon worked 1 2/3 innings, also allowing no hits with two strikeouts, preserving the lead.

Mason Miller closed the ninth, surrendering two runs on three hits but securing the victory. The outing ended Miller’s scoreless streak at 34 2/3 innings, a San Diego record that dated to last season.

Chicago’s bullpen overall allowed six runs on 10 hits over seven innings. The Cubs’ pitchers combined for 16 strikes, 49 balls and 16 balls in play. San Diego pitchers combined for 11 strikes, 59 balls and 11 balls in play.

France’s recent performances have been strong. He went 2-for-4 with two home runs and two RBIs in a win at Arizona on April 25, and had been 1-for-3 in an April 17 loss at Los Angeles. On Monday, he was 2-for-3 with four RBIs, including the crucial triple.

Machado finished 3-for-4 with two doubles. Suzuki went 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI for the Cubs.

Attendance was announced at 41,478. The game lasted 3 hours, 8 minutes.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Chicago Cubs 8, San Diego Padres 7. Interstat’s ELO system gave San Diego a 51.40 percent probability to win. The Cubs were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of 16 went under the over-under line of 7.5.