SAN FRANCISCO _ Nick Margevicius, a rookie who wasn't supposed to be on the Padres at this point, and Manny Machado, a superstar like the Padres have never had, continued the start to a season unlike many the Padres have ever experienced.
As Margevicius was continuing the surprisingly excellent and premature start to his major league career, allowing one run in six innings, Machado was fielding ground balls and making throws and hitting a solo home run off the top of Oracle Park's right-field wall that was the deciding run in a 3-1 victory over the Giants on Wednesday.
With the first victory of Margevicius' career, the Padres clinched their third series win in the four they've played in 2019. They are 4-2 on a road trip that continues Thursday in Phoenix with the first of four games against the Diamondbacks.
As early as it is, and as many challenges as remain, the Padres' 8-5 start has been bettered just once (2009) and matched just once (2015) in the franchise's past 20 years.
Machado made a barehanded grab and threw across the diamond for an out in the third. In the fourth, he denied the Giants a go-ahead run by throwing out Erik Kratz at home on a play so unexpected Kratz didn't even slide, almost certainly believing Machado would cede the run and get an out at first base.
In the next half-inning, Machado launched a first-pitch fastball for his third homer of the season, breaking a 1-1 tie.
The Padres added a run in the ninth when Hunter Renfroe tripled and Wil Myers drove him home with a single.
Trey Wingenter relieved Margevicius (1-1), who had struck out the heart of the Giants order on 12 pitches in the top of the sixth.
Wingenter retired the first two batters he faced, and left-hander Brad Wieck came in to get Brandon Belt to end the seventh.
After pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval led off the eighth with a doubled flared inside the right-field line against Wieck, Craig Stammen came on to get the next three outs.
Kirby Yates earned his seventh save by stranding runners at second and third in a scoreless ninth.
The Padres took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Luis Urias walked, went to second on Margevicius' sacrifice bunt and scored on a single by Manuel Margot. The Giants tied the game in the fourth on Kevin Pillar's solo home run, his ninth RBI of the three-game series.
