MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Interstat) — The San Diego Padres outlasted the Miami Marlins 7-2 on Saturday evening at loanDepot Park, using a three-run eighth inning to break open a tight contest and snap a three-game losing streak. The Padres improved to 52-53, while the Marlins fell to 52-53 in a matchup of two teams hovering around .500.

Attendance was 22,319 and the game lasted 3 hours, 15 minutes.

San Diego starter Randy Vásquez kept the Marlins off the scoreboard through two innings, but Miami manufactured a run in the third after Esteury Ruiz was hit by a pitch and Jakob Marsee singled. Ruiz scored on a sacrifice fly by Otto Lopez that turned into a double play when Marsee was thrown out at second. That tied the score 1-1, erasing the Padres’ two-run lead from the top of the inning.

The Padres had struck first in the third. Freddy Fermin was hit by a pitch, and after a double play erased him, Jake Cronenworth walked. Manny Machado doubled to put runners at second and third, and Ty France singled to left, driving in both runners. France was thrown out trying to advance to second, but San Diego took a 2-0 lead.

Miami answered in the bottom half, but the game remained 2-1 until the seventh. Jackson Merrill led off with a double, moved to third on a flyout, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Gavin Sheets, making it 3-1 Padres.

The pivotal moment came in the eighth. Cronenworth walked to start the inning, Machado struck out, but France singled to center, scoring Cronenworth to push the lead to 4-1. Merrill followed with a single, and Luis Rengifo walked to load the bases. Pinch-hitter Jase Bowen then lined a single to right, scoring France and Merrill to make it 6-1. The rally ended on a double play, but the damage was done.

Miami fought back in the bottom of the eighth. Ruiz singled, Marsee struck out, but Lopez singled to put runners on the corners. Kyle Stowers singled to center, scoring Ruiz, but Lopez was thrown out at third trying to advance. That cut the deficit to 6-2. Heriberto Hernández grounded out to end the inning.

San Diego added an insurance run in the ninth. Fernando Tatis Jr. walked, Cronenworth singled to right to score him, and Machado grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Marlins went down in order in the ninth, with Xavier Edwards, Liam Hicks and Javier Sanoja all making outs.

JP Sears earned the win for San Diego, improving to 3-3. He pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, allowing no hits and striking out one. Vásquez started and went 2 2/3 innings, giving up one earned run on one hit with two walks and four strikeouts. Eury Pérez took the loss for Miami, falling to 5-8. He worked seven innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and one walk.

Offensively, the Padres collected 11 hits. France went 2 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Merrill doubled twice and scored two runs. Bowen had the key two-run single. Tatis Jr. went 0 for 4 with a walk and a run. Cronenworth walked twice and singled.

For Miami, Esteury Ruiz went 2 for 2 with a hit by pitch, a single and a run scored. Lopez went 1 for 2 with a walk, a sacrifice fly and an RBI. Marsee reached twice on a single and a walk. The Marlins managed only five hits and struck out six times.

San Diego had won the series opener Friday afternoon 4-2, but had lost four of their previous five games before that, including a 6-5 defeat at Atlanta on Thursday and a 7-6 loss on Wednesday. Miami had lost five straight entering Friday’s contest and dropped six of their last seven overall.

The game was the second of a three-game series. The teams will conclude the set Sunday afternoon. The Padres then return home to host the Colorado Rockies for three games, while the Marlins welcome the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game set starting Monday.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of San Diego 4, Miami 1. Interstat’s ELO system gave Miami a 50.30 percent probability to win. Miami was a -1.5 run favorite on the spread. The total of nine runs went over the pregame over/under line of 8.