SAN DIEGO (Interstat) — Fernando Tatis Jr. hit two home runs and drove in four runs as the San Diego Padres defeated the Minnesota Twins 8-1 on Sunday evening at PETCO Park. Tatis went 4 for 5, homering in the third inning and again in the eighth, as San Diego won its third consecutive game and completed a three-game sweep of Minnesota.

Walker Buehler earned the win for San Diego, pitching six innings and allowing one earned run on four hits while striking out three. Buehler improved to 8-6 on the season. Kody Funderburk took the loss for Minnesota, falling to 3-2 after the Padres broke the game open during his relief appearance in the sixth inning.

Minnesota opened the scoring threat in the first inning when Luke Keaschall singled off Buehler, but Byron Buxton grounded into a double play to erase the baserunner. The Twins managed only one run on the afternoon, scoring in the fifth inning when Brooks Lee hit a solo home run to right center field, his 20th of the season. Lee finished 1 for 3 with three strikeouts.

San Diego took the lead in the third inning when Tatis hit a solo home run to left field, his 16th of the season. The Padres threatened again in the fourth but left a runner stranded when Xander Bogaerts flew out to center field. Minnesota tied the game at 1-1 in the fifth on Lee’s homer, and the score remained level until the bottom of the sixth.

The sixth inning proved decisive. The Padres loaded the bases with one out after Jackson Merrill reached on a fielding error by shortstop Kaelen Culpepper, Luis Campusano walked and Austin Hays walked. Bogaerts then walked to force in Campusano and give San Diego a 2-1 lead. Luis Rengifo followed with a two-run double to right field, scoring Hays and Bogaerts. Tatis then singled to center field, driving in Bogaerts and pinch runner Jase Bowen to put the Padres ahead 5-1.

Funderburk was charged with four earned runs in the sixth without recording an out. He allowed a single to Tatis and a walk to Hays before being removed. The Twins turned to Taylor Rogers, who allowed a single to Jake Cronenworth but escaped the inning when Manny Machado popped out.

San Diego extended its lead in the seventh inning. Jackson Merrill hit a solo home run to right field, his 21st of the season, making it 6-1. Later in the inning, with two outs, Austin Hays walked and Bogaerts doubled to left field, scoring Hays for a 7-1 lead.

Tatis added his second home run of the game in the eighth inning, a line drive to left center field off Rogers, his 17th of the season. Bogaerts finished 1 for 3 with a double and an RBI. Rengifo went 1 for 3 with two RBIs, and Merrill went 1 for 5 with a home run and an RBI.

Minnesota’s offense struggled to sustain any momentum against the San Diego pitching staff. The Twins grounded into three double plays, including one in the first inning and another in the fourth. Minnesota had six hits total, with Keaschall, Buxton, Lee, Alan Roden, Culpepper and pinch hitter Ryan Kreidler each contributing one. Roden doubled in the fifth inning after Lee’s home run, but the Twins could not bring him home.

Bailey Ober started for Minnesota and pitched five innings, allowing one earned run on four hits while striking out three. Ober matched Buehler through five innings before the Twins bullpen faltered. In addition to Funderburk and Rogers, the Twins used a combination of relievers to finish the game. Rogers pitched one inning and allowed one earned run on one hit. The Twins’ pitching staff combined for 13 strikes, 39 balls and 13 balls in play.

San Diego’s bullpen held Minnesota scoreless over the final three innings. Wandy Peralta pitched two innings, allowing one hit and no earned runs while striking out one. Yuki Matsui pitched the ninth inning, allowing one hit and no earned runs while striking out one. The Padres’ pitching staff combined for 17 strikes, 49 balls and 17 balls in play.

The Padres improved to 71-60 on the season, while Minnesota fell to 63-68. San Diego has now won five of its last six games and swept the three-game series against Minnesota after winning 7-5 on Saturday and 6-2 on Friday. The Twins have lost six of their last seven games.

The game was played before an announced attendance of 40,103 at PETCO Park. The game took 2 hours and 43 minutes.

San Diego’s offense has been consistent throughout the series, scoring seven runs in the opener and six in the middle game. On Sunday, the Padres collected nine hits and benefited from a patient approach at the plate, drawing seven walks as a team. Minnesota pitchers issued five walks in the sixth inning alone, which set the stage for the Padres’ four-run rally.

Tatis’ performance highlighted the night. He drove in the game’s first run with his homer in the third, then broke the game open with his two-run single in the sixth and added a solo homer in the eighth. His four RBIs matched the total number of runs San Diego needed to secure the victory. Tatis had entered the game in a brief slump, going 0 for 4, 1 for 5, 1 for 4 and 0 for 4 in his previous four games.

San Diego will host Pittsburgh on Monday, while Minnesota will travel to for a three-game series beginning the same day. The Twins have lost eight of their last 11 road games and will look to regroup against an Athletics team that has been competitive at home.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of San Diego 7, Minnesota 5. Interstat’s ELO system had given San Diego a 62.50 percent probability to win. The Padres were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 9 went under the over/under line of 8.5.