MIAMI -- Giancarlo Stanton hit his 50th home run to break an eighth-inning tie, helping the Marlins sweep the San Diego Padres with a 6-2 victory Sunday.

Stanton became the first National League player to reach 50 homers since Prince Fielder hit 50 for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007.

Stanton's 17th homer in August tied him for the second-most in MLB history in the month, behind Rudy York's 18 in 1937.

With the score tied at 2, Dee Gordon singled to lead off the eighth. Stanton then drove a 2-1 pitch from Clayton Richard (6-13) into the hedge in center field.

The milestone earned Stanton a curtain call from the crowd of 23,725. Fans roars as he celebrated with teammates after returning to the dugout, and he climbed to the top step and waved his batting helmet toward the stands.

That prompted chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!"

Stanton also walked, doubled home a run and singled in four plate appearances, hiking his batting average to .296. He increased his RBI total to 108, a career high.

After Stanton's tiebreaking drive, Christian Yelich hit his first triple of the year and continued home on a throwing error, ending Richard's outing. Derek Dietrich then homered off Carter Capps.

The Marlins' three-game sweep and fourth consecutive victory overall gave them 13 wins in the past 16 games. They swept a series from the Padres for the first time since 2012.

Dan Straily, Jarlin Garcia, Kyle Barraclough (5-1) and Brad Ziegler combined on a seven-hitter. San Diego's only runs came on Richard's two-run homer, which barely cleared the 335-foot sign next to the right-field foul pole. His only other homer came in 2012.

Gordon reached on a two-out bunt single in the third for Miami's first hit and scored when Stanton doubled into the right-field corner. Stanton came home on a wild pitch.

Straily gave up two runs in six innings and pitched out of several jams.

OOPS

A bizarre baserunning mistake helped Straily escape in the fourth. With two outs and a runner on first, Jabari Blash hit a popup that first baseman Tyler Moore allowed to drop for a single. When Blash took a wide turn, Gordon scrambled for the ball and threw behind him to catcher A.J. Ellis, who tagged the runner out.

UP NEXT

Padres: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (11-9, 4.10 ERA) starts Monday in the opener of a three-game series against San Francisco. Chacin is 3-0 with a 3.04 ERA in four starts against the Giants this year. RHP Jeff Samardzija (8-12, 4.67 ERA) pitches for visiting San Francisco.

Marlins: RHP Jose Urena (12-5, 3.68 ERA) gets the ball Monday in the opener of a three-game set at NL East-leading Washington.</s>Fact: Giancarlo Stanton had his ninth multi-home run game of the season in the Miami Marlins' 8-6 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night. His nine multi-home run games are the most in a single season since Jose Bautista had nine such games in 2010.</s>Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton has always been known for his immense power, but he’s never done this before. With his home run during Sunday’s game, Stanton became the first player to hit 50 home runs since 2013. He did it before the end of August.

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The milestone occurred in the eighth inning. With Clayton Richard on the mound, Stanton belted a 2-1 slider to center for the go-ahead two-run shot. Thanks to Stanton, the Marlins would go on to defeat the San Diego Padres 6-2.

Stanton’s hit marks the 44th time in Major League Baseball history a player has reached the 50-home run mark. The last player to accomplish the feat was Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis, who hit 53 home runs in 2013.

The hit extends Stanton’s lead in homers this season. He now has a 13 home run lead over New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge. Judge has hit 37 bombs. When the Home Run Derby participants were announced, Judge led baseball with 27 dingers. Stanton sat at 21 home runs.

Since then, Stanton has been on an absolute tear. Over the past 45 games, Stanton has hit an incredible .341/.450/.910, with 28 home runs. That doesn’t include Sunday’s numbers, when he went 3-for-3, with another home run. Every part of Stanton’s stat line increased during Sunday’s game.

It’s probably time to point out Stanton’s recent stretch has vaulted the Marlins into the wild card race, and Stanton into MVP consideration. The Marlins are now 66-63. They were 41-46 at the All-Star break. They have cut their wild card deficit in half over that period. Miami is now 4.5 games out of the second National League wild card spot.

Stanton, meanwhile, is tied for second in the NL in fWAR. After Sunday’s performance, he may pass Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt for sole possession of second. Goldschmidt, however, did add a home run of his own Sunday, so the race may remain tied for now.

Both players trail Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon, who has notched a 5.8 fWAR this season. Rendon hasn’t received much attention, most likely because he’s a strong contributor in every aspect of the game. He doesn’t have an eye-popping home run number like Stanton, but his .302/.405./548 slash line, with 22 home runs and excellent defense, is impressive.

Based on how Stanton is playing, that might not matter. The gap is already close, and Stanton may continue to inch closer to the lead if he continues to hit like this.

Following Sunday, Stanton is on pace for 63 home runs. That number would make it tough for voters to go in another direction unless Rendon really pulls away over the next couple weeks. If Stanton can get there, he would tie Sammy Sosa for the sixth most home runs in a single season. He would be 10 off Barry Bonds’ record of 73, which he set back in 2001.

To point out the incredibly obvious, Giancarlo Stanton is really good. Considering that he just reached the 50-home run mark in August, he’s likely the frontrunner for NL MVP, even though there’s a legitimate argument for Rendon.

With that seeming likely, Stanton now has to finish the job and lead the Marlins to the postseason. While there’s still a long way for the team to go, it’s pretty tough to say anything is impossible after Stanton carried them into contention over the past two months.

Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik</s>Man injured after being run over by boat in San Diego Bay</s>MIAMI -- Chris Johnson culminated the Miami Marlins' productive line of base hits and an improbable victory.

Johnson' walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Marlins to a 7-6 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.

Facing San Diego closer Brandon Maurer, Johnson hit a shot that bounced over the wall in right field and scored Jeff Francoeur from second for the winning run.

"When I hit it I put my head down, I didn't get it all of it and when I was running I kind of saw where they were playing -- a little bit more shallow, obviously to try to throw somebody out at the plate," Johnson said. "I was just hoping it would carry enough to get over his head. The center fielder almost got there. I'm just glad he didn't."

For Johnson, the hit also helped overcome reduced playing time lately. The Marlins added Xavier Scruggs, a second right-handed first baseman, last week. Scruggs joined Miami from Triple-A New Orleans on Aug. 19, started Friday night.

Johnson replaced Scruggs in a double switch in the fourth inning. After going hitless in his first three at bats, Johnson delivered at a crucial time.

"I'm here to get my work in; I'm not going to pout about who's out there," Johnson said. "As long as we win ball games and get us where we want to go that's what everybody should be happy about."

The Marlins erased a 6-2 deficit with a three-run eighth and a run in the seventh.

Martin Prado's two-run single with the bases loaded off Maurer (0-4) in the eighth put Miami within 6-5. Christian Yelich then drove Maurer's 1-2 pitch to center field for a single that scored J.T. Realmuto with the tying run. Maurer entered with two outs in the inning after Miami loaded the bases against reliever Brad Hand.

"We just kept tacking on," Miami manager Don Mattingly said. "They were all huge hits."

Francoeur went 3-for-4 and walked once in his first start with the Marlins. Francoeur was acquired from the Atlanta Braves in a three-team trade on Wednesday.

Facing the team that traded him in a seven-player deal on July 29, San Diego starter Jarred Cosart pitched five innings, allowing two runs and five hits. Cosart also struck out three in his fifth start with the Padres but had to leave because of a blister in the middle finger of his throwing hand.

"I thought he was outstanding," Padres manager Andy Green said. "We would have liked to run him seven innings but the blister kind of came up on him."

San Diego erased a two-run deficit after a four-run fourth against Miami starter David Phelps. Luis Sardinas keyed the rally with a bases-loaded double as the Padres chased Phelps, who allowed four runs and two hits and struck out six in 3 2/3 innings.

Sardinas increased the Padres' lead with his first home run of the season in the sixth. Sardinas drove Marlins reliever Mike Dunn's pitch over the wall in left field for a 6-2 San Diego advantage.

Marcell Ozuna's single in the seventh off San Diego reliever Jose Dominguez began the Marlins' comeback.

The Padres erased a two-run deficit on Sardinas' bases-loaded double in the fourth for a 3-2 lead. Sardinas' drove Phelps' pitch deep to right center, scoring Alex Dickerson, Ryan Schimpf and Patrick Kivlehan. Sardinas raced home from second when Phelps failed to field Cosart's grounder down the first base line and beat first baseman Xavier Scruggs' throw.

"It was gratifying what I did, but at the end of the day it's about the team," Sardinas said of his two-hit, four-RBI-performance. "Unfortunately we couldn't get the win."

Schimpf increased San Diego's lead to 5-2 with his home run in the fifth. Schimpf drove Miami reliever Nick Wittgren's pitch over the wall in right center for his 15th homer of the season.

The Marlins struck quickly on Ozuna's RBI double that scored Yelich in the first. Ozuna drilled a ball past Kivlehan in right to give Miami a 1-0 lead.

Yelich increased Miami's lead to 2-0 in the third when his groundout drove in Realmuto, who reached on Schimpf's fielding error at second and advanced to third after Prado's single to right.

NOTES: Marlins manager Don Mattingly removed OF Ichiro Suzuki from the starting lineup for the series opener against San Diego, saying Suzuki, 42, needed a break. Suzuki has started 10 of Miami's 11 games since OF Giancarlo Stanton sustained a groin injury on Aug. 13 and hit .171 during the stretch. ... Stanton, who suffered a Grade 3 left groin sprain, told the media before Thursday's game against Kansas City that he will try to return to the lineup before the end of the regular season. .... Padres RHP Tyson Ross made his first appearance since April in a rehabilitation start at Class A Lake Elsinore on Thursday. Ross was San Diego's opening day starter April 4 but experienced shoulder inflammation before his second scheduled start. ... The Padres placed RHP Brandon Morrow on paternity leave and recalled LHP Buddy Baumann from Triple-A El Paso. Baumann, 28, was previously twice recalled by the Padres this season.</s>Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton struggled to remember a bigger home run from his eight-year career than the two-run shot he hit in the eighth inning of Sunday’s 6-2 win over the Padres.

“It’s got to be up there with the best,” Stanton said after becoming the first National League player to hit 50 home runs in a season since Prince Fielder in 2007. “My career high, it put us up, gave us a sweep. Pretty good things all around it.”

Stanton joined Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Maris and Luis Gonzalez as the only players to hit 50 home runs before the end of August. Bonds hit home run No. 50 on Aug. 11 in 2001, the year he set the single-season record with 73 home runs. Stanton has been on a tear all month; his 17 home runs in August are one shy of the major league record, set by Detroit’s Rudy York in 1937. Stanton’s previous career high for home runs in a season before this year was 37, which he accomplished twice, most recently in 2014.

The crowd of 23,725 at Marlins Park serenaded Stanton with chants of “M-V-P! M-V-P!” after he hit home run No. 50.

“It’s pretty cool,” said Stanton, who is 13 home runs ahead of the Yankees’ Aaron Judge for the major league lead and tied the Rockies’ Nolan Arenado for the most RBI (108) in baseball with three more Sunday.

“They’re a bit early, but it’s cool they’re acknowledging and showing love like that,” Stanton said. “I really appreciate it.”

Stanton’s power surge since the all-star break has helped get the Marlins back in the playoff race. Miami, which hasn’t been to the postseason since 2003, has won 13 of its last 16 and ended Sunday 4½ games back of the Rockies for the National League’s second wild-card spot.

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Rally Cat clawed his way into our hearts, but he won’t be going to the Cardinals</s>(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee). San Diego Padres' Clayton Richard delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Miami.

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee). Miami Marlins' Dan Straily delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Miami.

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee). Miami Marlins' Dee Gordon, left, celebrates with Christian Yelich (21) after Gordon scored on a double by Giancarlo Stanton during the third inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Miami.

MIAMI (AP) - Giancarlo Stanton hit his 50th home run to break an eighth-inning tie, helping the Miami Marlins sweep the San Diego Padres with a 6-2 victory on Sunday.

Stanton became the first National League player to reach 50 homers since Prince Fielder hit 50 for Milwaukee in 2007. Stanton's 17th homer in August tied him for the second-most in MLB history in the month, behind Rudy York's 18 in 1937.

With the score 2-all, Dee Gordon singled to lead off the eighth. Stanton then drove a 2-1 pitch from Clayton Richard (6-13) into the hedge in center field.

The milestone earned Stanton a curtain call from the crowd of 23,725. Fans roars as he celebrated with teammates after returning to the dugout, and he climbed to the top step and waved his batting helmet toward the stands.

Stanton also walked, doubled home a run and singled in four plate appearances, hiking his average to .296. He increased his RBI total to 108, a career high.

After Stanton's tiebreaking drive, Christian Yelich hit his first triple of the year and continued home on a throwing error, ending Richard's outing. Derek Dietrich then homered off Carter Capps.

The Marlins' three-game sweep and fourth consecutive victory overall gave them 13 wins in the past 16 games. They swept a series from the Padres for the first time since 2012.

Dan Straily, Kyle Barraclough (5-1) and two other pitchers combined on a seven-hitter. San Diego's only runs came on Richard's two-run homer, which barely cleared the 335-foot sign next to the right field foul pole. His only other homer came in 2012.

Gordon reached on a two-out bunt single in the third for Miami's first hit, and scored when Stanton doubled into the right-field corner. Stanton came home on a wild pitch.

Straily gave up two runs in six innings and pitched out of several jams.

A bizarre baserunning mistake helped Straily escape in the fourth. With two out and a runner on first, Jabari Blash hit a popup that first baseman Tyler Moore allowed to drop for a single. When Blash took a wide turn, second baseman Dee Gordon scrambled for the ball and threw behind him to catcher A.J. Ellis, who tagged the runner out.

Padres: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (11-9, 4.10 ERA) starts Monday in the opener of a three-game series against San Francisco. Chacin is 3-0 with a 3.04 ERA in four starts against the Giants this year. RHP Jeff Samardzija (8-12, 4.67 ERA) pitches for visiting San Francisco.

Marlins: RHP Jose Urena (12-5, 3.68 ERA) gets the ball Monday in the opener of a three-game set at NL East-leading Washington.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>The Miami Marlins outfielder slugged his 50th(!) home run of the season Sunday in the bottom of the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres. The two-run bomb was a straight shot to center field and gave the Marlins the lead in their eventual 6-2 win. Your browser does not support iframes.

It’s the 44th time a player has enjoyed a 50-home run season, and Stanton is the 28th to do it. Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis was the last person to accomplish the feat when he hit 53 in 2013.

Stanton has hit a whopping 17 home runs in 25 games in August. The Marlins still have 33 games left, so if he keeps it up, he could become the first player to reach 60 since Sammy Sosa did it in 2001.</s>OF Jon Jay (broken right forearm) will remain with the Padres in New York for the first two games of a three-game series against the Mets before he heads back to San Diego on Sunday. Manager Andy Green said before Friday's 8-6 win that Jay will undergo testing in San Diego to determine if he is ready to begin swinging a bat. Jay, who was injured June 19, is expected to fill a fourth outfielder's role once he returns to the Padres. He is batting .296 with two homers and 23 RBIs in 68 games this season.

RHP Tyson Ross (right shoulder inflammation, left ankle) threw 39 pitches in a bullpen session Wednesday and is scheduled to throw in the bullpen again during the Padres' three-game series against the Mets in New York. Ross injured his shoulder during his lone start of the season April 4, when he gave up eight runs (seven earned) over 5 1/3 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and had his rehab slowed when he hurt his left ankle while working out in his hotel room in early July. The Padres hope Ross can return to the rotation in September, when club plans to employ six starters in an attempt to conserve innings.

RHP Paul Clemens earned his first win as a member of the Padres Friday night, when he allowed three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out three over five innings in an 8-6 victory over the Mets. Clemens may have pitched longer but has been battling lower back soreness, which he felt while running to cover first base in the fourth inning. Afterward, Clemens acknowledged the back is still bothering him but described the pain as a "1" on a scale of 1 to 10. The win came in Clemens' eighth appearance and fourth start with the Padres, who claimed him off waivers from the Miami Marlins on June 28. Clemens is 1-2 with a 4.03 ERA for the Padres and 2-2 with a 4.73 ERA in 10 games (six starts) in the majors this season.

RHP Jarred Cosart will look to earn his first major league win in almost 11 months on Saturday night, when he takes the mound for the Padres in the middle game of a three-game series against the New York Mets at Citi Field. It will be the third start in a Padres uniform for Cosart, who was acquired from the Miami Marlins on July 29. Cosart did not factor into the decision in his most recent start last Sunday, when he gave up five runs on 10 hits and no walks while striking out five over five innings as the Padres fell to the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-5. He is 0-2 with a 5.65 ERA in six major league starts since his last win on Sept. 17, 2015. Cosart is 0-0 with a 3.45 ERA in five career starts against the Mets, whom he faced as a member of the Marlins in his first start of the season on April 11.</s>RHP Ronald Bolanos of Cuba signed a contract with San Diego worth $2.25 million. Bolanos is rated as the 20th best international prospect by MLB.com. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Bolanos turns 20 this month. San Diego has signed eight of the top 30 international prospects by MLB.com.

CF Travis Jankowski's steal of home in the eighth inning Wednesday in Pittsburgh was the fourth in the majors this season that wasn't part of a double steal -- three of them by Padres players. Jankowski took off when he noticed Pirates LHP Antonio Bastardo wasn't paying attention to him, and his hand hit the plate as C Eric Fryer was mishandling Bastardo's hurried throw. Melvin Upton Jr. (June 3) and Wil Myers (July 31) also stole home for San Diego; Jacoby Ellsbury also did so for the Yankees on April 22.

RHP Edwin Jackson took a no-hitter into the sixth inning Wednesday, the second time he's done so in five starts with San Diego. The last Padres pitcher to do that in a season was RHP Chris Young, who had three such starts in 2006.

LHP Matt Thornton, designated for assignment by San Diego on Saturday, was released Thursday. Thornton had a 5.82 ERA in 18 outings for the Padres this season.

LHP Christian Friedrich wasn't especially happy after giving up four runs and nine hits over five innings in the 4-0 loss Thursday to Pittsburgh -- especially with two pitches he made to Pirates 3B David Freese, who had an RBI double and RBI single. "Similar to (the) last start, (it) just a couple bad pitches," he said. "A fastball (to Freese), was supposed to be down and away and I just left it up. ...I feel pretty good; (I)njust would be happier trying to go deeper into games, obviously, and would like to knock out some of those big-run innings."

LHP Clayton Richard will start Sunday against the Mets in New York as the Padres go to a six-man rotation for the next two weeks. Richard pitched a scoreless inning Tuesday night in Pittsburgh. He began the season with the Cubs, going 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA in 25 games, before signing with the Padres as a free agent. In a previous stop with San Diego, he made 33 starts while going 14-14 in 2012, one of two 14-win seasons with the Padres.
Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins becomes the newest member of the 50 home run club, reaching the milestone during the Marlins' 6–2 win over the San Diego Padres.