For the first time in 15 years, the Padres arrived at the ballpark on Wednesday with a chance to move into first place at so late a juncture of their season. They did their part -- handling the Giants en route to a 5-1 victory,

The Padres, with two homers, beat the struggling Giants 5-1, moving them into a tie for first in the NL West before a weekend series in LA.

Jose Iglesias hit a two-run homer in the second inning, Jackson Merrill connected in the eighth for insurance, and the San Diego Padres beat the struggling San Francisco Giants 5-1.

Mired in a three-game losing skid and trailing by a trio of runs, the Giants just needed one hit, one player ,to create a spark against the Padres. Instead, as they have often done during a miserable post-All Star break stretch, the bats came up empty when it counted. Patrick Bailey and Heliot Ramos each popped up to end the threat.

The 22-year-old outfielder revealed why the Padres trusted him with their everyday center fielder's job and a $135 million contract extension.