MIAMI _ Hunter Renfroe could hardly hit before he could hardly swing earlier this season.
But he came back from the disabled list just less than two weeks ago as the Padres' man in a pinch.
In 11 games since returning from his DL stint, necessitated by a strained elbow ligament, Renfroe has produced a pinch-hit walk-off infield single, a pinch-hit grand slam that was the difference in a game and on Saturday scored the winning run after a two-out, pinch-hit double in the eighth inning.
Travis Jankowski's single sent Renfroe home from third base in the 5-4 victory over the Marlins that evened the series that concludes Sunday.
Renfroe was batting .200 in 57 at-bats when placed on the DL, his final week played only with help from a cortisone shot. He is 10-for-28 since coming back.
Having watched a 4-1 lead disintegrate in the sixth, the Padres were an out away from their fourth straight scoreless inning when Renfroe went to bat for pitcher Craig Stammen.
He lined a 1-1 cutter from right-hander Drew Racinski to left field.
Raffy Lopez was intentionally walked, and Matt Szczur drew a walk to load the bases, which brought Jankowski up.
His single over second baseman Starlin Castro also came on a 1-1 cutter from Racinski.
It was an eventful finish for a game that started quickly before settled into cruise control for a while.
It seemed the Padres' early patience in knocking Marlins starter Dan Straily down and then out would be enough.
But Tyson Ross faltered after a taking a 4-1 lead into the sixth inning, as the Marlins tied the game with a home run and two runs scored ugly.
After Derek Dietrich led off the sixth with a home run, Ross got an out before surrendering a double and single in succession.
Stammen, who had stranded 10 of the 15 runners he had inherited, came on in relief of Ross. His first pitch bounced in front of the plate and got past Lopez, allowing Justin Bour to score from third and Brian Anderson to jog to second base.
After a strikeout by JT Riddle, Miguel Rojas hit a grounder up the middle that looked like it would be an infield single that kept Anderson at third. But Jose Pirela, appearing to prepare for an attempt for the out at first, had the ball go off the heel of his glove and dribble into the outfield grass, which allowed Anderson to run home with the tying run.
Szczur led off the seventh with a walk and stole second base on Jankowski's strikeout. The Marlins put Eric Hosmer on with an intentional walk before Pirela watched a third strike go by and Franmil Reyes swung and missed at a third strike.
Stammen (4-0) retired the side in order in the seventh.
Brad Hand pitched a perfect eighth before Kirby Yates came on in the ninth to face pinch-hitter Lewis Brinson.
Brinson bounced a ball to Spangenberg, which required the third baseman to rush a throw that bounced past Hosmer at first.
Brinson moved to second on a ground out. Yates struck out Bryan Holaday and got Cameron Maybin on a fly out to right field for his second save of the season, both coming in the past six days.
