PHILADELPHIA (AP) Manny Machado, Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr. homered, Yu Darvish struck out nine in six sharp innings and the San Diego Padres defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3 on Friday night in a rematch of last year’s National League Championship Series.

Gary Sánchez also went deep for San Diego, which has won six of seven.

“We're passing the baton and having quality at-bats,” Machado said.

J.T. Realmuto homered for the Phillies.

The matchup was the first between the teams since Game 5 of the NLCS last October, when Bryce Harper’s dramatic, two-run home run in the eighth inning propelled the Phillies to a clinching home victory and a berth in the World Series.

Although both clubs appear to have the pieces for another deep playoff run, neither started the season strong. However, both have played better of late.

Philadelphia, which is 23-10 since June 3, began play a half-game out of an NL wild-card spot, while San Diego started Friday six games back of a playoff berth.

The Padres, though, have found their offense this month and entered play ranked first in the majors with an average of 6.5 runs per contest.

“Offense seems to be doing pretty well,” San Diego manager Bob Melvin said.

San Diego continued where it left off prior to the All-Star break.

Sánchez put the Padres up 1-0 in the third inning when he connected on an 0-2, 81-mph slider on a drive over the wall in left off Cristopher Sánchez (0-3). Later in the frame, Tatis crushed a first-pitch changeup into the second deck in left, a two-run shot that made it 3-0.

After the Phillies got on the board on Alec Bohm’s RBI double in the fourth, Machado launched a solo homer to left in the sixth off reliever Jeff Hoffman on another 0-2 pitch.

Darvish (6-6) kept the Phillies at bay, scattering five hits, walking two and allowing a run.

“We just didn't swing the bats early,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “Darvish did a nice job of keeping us off balance.”

Said Melvin, “That's the type of Yu Darvish we're used to seeing.”

Sánchez gave up three runs in five innings.

Soto joined the homer barrage with a two-run shot to deep left-center in the ninth.

The Phillies rallied in the ninth, scoring two runs and loading the bases off Luis García before Josh Hader came on to get the final two outs, striking out Trea Turner and getting All-Star Nick Castellanos to pop out to short right field, for his 22nd save in 25 chances.

HARPER HAPPENINGS

Harper didn’t have any drama against the Padres this time, going 1 for 4 with a single while extending his homerless drought to a career-worst 164 plate appearances. The two-time NL MVP last went deep on May 25.

After serving strictly as Philadelphia’s designated hitter since April 2022 when he hurt his right throwing elbow, an injury that required offseason surgery, Harper is getting closer to returning to the field. Prior to the game, Thomson told reporters that Harper could be playing first base sometime in this weekend’s four-game series against the Padres but then said afterward that it wouldn't be that soon.

SONG STEPS UP

Phillies prospect Noah Song struck out two, walked one and allowed a hit in 1 1/3 scoreless innings in his first Double-A appearance for Reading against Portland.

Song had previously made four appearances for Class A Clearwater since joining the organization in February from the U.S. Navy.

The 26-year-old right-hander reported to major league spring training on Feb. 23 after the Navy granted his transfer from active duty to the reserves. Shut down on March 11 due to lower back tightness, he hadn’t pitched in a professional game since Aug. 29, 2019, for Class A Lowell.

Song was taken by the Phillies from Boston in the winter meeting draft for unprotected minor league players in December. He was selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2019 amateur draft when Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski headed Boston’s baseball operations.

Song had been a flight officer training on a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft before returning to baseball.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: San Diego reinstated RHP Steven Wilson from the 15-day IL and optioned RHP Matt Waldron to Triple-A El Paso. Wilson, out since June 25 with a right pectoral strain, has a 2.43 ERA in 35 relief appearances this season.

Phillies: Philadelphia placed OF Cristian Pache (right elbow) on the 10-day IL and recalled CF Johan Rojas from Double-A Reading. … INF Drew Ellis was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to replace INF Josh Harrison (bruised left wrist), who went on the 10-day IL on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

The teams will play a day/night doubleheader on Saturday. Padres LHP Blake Snell (6-7, 2.85) opposes LHP Ranger Suarez (2-4, 3.77) in the opener. RHP Taijuan Walker (10-3, 4.02) starts for the Phillies in the nightcap. San Diego hasn’t announced its starter for Game 2.

---

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports