Orioles hit 4 homers off Cortes, beat Padres 7-5 to complete sweep

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Baltimore Orioles' Alex Jackson, right, celebrates after hitting a home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Baltimore Orioles' Coby Mayo celebrates with third base coach Buck Britton after hitting a home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) — Baltimore Orioles' Alex Jackson, right, celebrates after hitting a home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

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7:07 PM on Wednesday, September 3

By BERNIE WILSON

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jackson Holliday hit a leadoff homer and Colton Cowser, Coby Mayo and Alex Jackson hit consecutive shots in the third inning — all off Nestor Cortes — and the Baltimore Orioles beat struggling San Diego 7-5 on Wednesday for their first three-game sweep of the Padres.

The Orioles, last in the AL East, took a 7-0 lead in the third, when Cortes allowed three homers on four pitches. The Padres closed the deficit when Manny Machado hit a two-run homer against his original team in a four-run sixth and Fernando Tatis Jr. homered leading off the seventh.

Mason Miller had the second immaculate inning in Padres history when he struck out Jeremiah Jackson, Ryan Mountcastle and Emmanuel Rivera on nine pitches — all sliders — in the eighth.

It was the third time in eight starts this season that Cortes (2-4) gave up at least three homers. He allowed five in his season debut on March 29 at the New York Yankees while with Milwaukee, when Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge homered on his first three pitches. Cortes, obtained by the Padres on July 31, allowed three homers in the same inning against San Francisco on Aug. 18.

The Padres have lost four in a row and eight of 10. They fell three games behind Los Angeles in the NL West, with the Dodgers set to face Pittsburgh later Wednesday.

Holliday drove Cortes' third pitch into the seats in right-center, his 16th.

Cowser hit a three-run homer to right-center with one out in the third, his 13th. Mayo homered to center two pitches later, his seventh. Jackson, a San Diego native, homered to left-center on the next pitch, his fifth.

Key moment

When Holliday touched home plate. Many Padres fans still contend his father, Matt, didn't touch home with the winning run in Colorado's 9-8, 13-inning victory in a wild-card tiebreaker on Oct. 1, 2007.

Key stat

Cade Povich (3-7) earned the win, and Yennier Cano (2) got the save.

Up next

Orioles RHP Dean Kreme (9-10, 4.52 ERA) was scheduled to start Friday night at home against the Dodgers. The Padres haven't announced a starter for Friday night at Colorado.

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