The Twins were rolling along Saturday, leading 3-1. Then they turned the game over to their bullpen and the Padres pounced.

Elías Díaz homered twice as the Friars beat the Minnesota Twins 12-3, powered by a 7-run seventh inning.

The Pads, in fact, scored 11 runs in three innings against Minnesota relievers, and Ramón Laureano capped the outburst with an eighth-inning homer.

Manny Machado had two hits to top 1,000 with the Padres, including an RBI single in the seventh as the Padres were on the way to a 10-3 lead.

Reliever Adrian Morejon (11-4) pitched a scoreless sixth to pick up the win for the Padres, who gained a game on the first-place Dodgers in the NL West. They are one behind LA in the chase for the division title and two games behind the Cubs for the top wild-card spot.

Twins starter Taj Bradley allowed just one run and one hit over five innings, and Byron Buxton’s two-run homer off Nick Pivetta gave Minnesota a 3-1 lead after five.

But reliever Mick Abel (2-4) — one of the Twins’ key acquisitions in their flurry of deadline-day trades — quickly gave that lead back as the Padres used three hits, a walk and an error to score twice in the sixth to tie it up.

Luis Arraez led off the inning with a routine ground ball that shortstop Brooks Lee bobbled. Machado followed with a single and with one out, Laureano – also a key acquisition, but for the Pads – doubled to bring in Arraez. Gavin Sheets then singled in Machado.

Ramón’s got wheels 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/MzjWQmwnGb

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) August 31, 2025

Abel allowed four consecutive singles – by Fernando Tatis Jr., Arraez, Machado and Ryan O’Hearn – to start the seventh before he was pulled. Machado’s knock put the Padres ahead and O’Hearn’s made the score 5-3.

It only got worse for Twins right-hander Brooks Kriske. With one out, Sheets drove in Machado with a single to right. With two out, Jake Cronenworth doubled to center to bring in two more runs, and Diaz went deep to left for his second home run of the night.

Manager Mike Shildt said that the Padres had “contributions from basically every single person in the lineup, just quality at-bats the whole night.”

He also singled out Machado’s accomplishment, noting that he had a chance to meet the Minnesota Vikings’ head coach Kevin O’Connell, and was impressed that the San Diego State alum also sees “how consistent he’s been, and how solid he’s been and how he goes about his business.”

“It just speaks well that people that observe and see the game, have an appreciation” for Machado, Shildt said.

The Padres will send David Morgan to the mound Sunday to take on Joe Ryan (12-7, 3.22 ERA) in the series finale.