SAN DIEGO_The San Diego Padres continued hitting balls out of the park at an historic rate Saturday night.
Maybe they would have done so even without Fernando Tatis Jr.'s feet.
They didn't have to wonder, because the rookie again created a run and extended an inning. (Then did it again later and added a homer of his own.)
After Tatis beat out a slow roller to shortstop for a two-out infield single that gave the Padres the lead in the second inning, home runs took care of most of the rest of a 12-2 victory over the Cardinals.
Manny Machado and Franmil Reyes became the first Padres ever to hit two home runs in the same game at Petco Park. Tatis' leading off the eighth inning tied the Padres' Petco Park record of five homers in a game.
It was also the second time in their past three games the Padres hit five homers, and with eight games to go they have 26 more home runs than they have ever had before the All-Star break.
The victory, in the first game of the second half of the season, moved the Padres (42-40) to within 1{ games of a wild card spot.
Machado's three-run blast and the homer Reyes hit on the next (and final) pitch from Cardinals starter Dakota Hudson put the Padres up 7-1 in the second inning.
Machado hit a two-run blast in the fourth.
The Padres' 10th run came when Tatis scored from second base on Eric Hosmer's infield single in the sixth inning. Reyes' solo homer in the seventh was his 24th of the season, tying Hunter Renfroe for the team lead.
Padres' rookie right-hander Chris Paddack (5-4) allowed a lead-off home run to Tommy Edman, a La Jolla Country Day alumnus, before allowing just one more hit and striking out eight in five innings.
