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Vinnie Pasquantino hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer to highlight a three-run sixth inning Wednesday afternoon, leading the visiting Kansas City Royals to a 4-3 victory over the San Diego Padres in the rubber match of a three-game series.

MJ Melendez, who drove in the Royals’ first run with a fourth-inning double, and Maikel Garcia followed with back-to-back doubles for Kansas City’s final run and a 4-1 lead.

Bobby Witt Jr. scored twice on Melendez’s double in the fourth and Pasquantino’s eighth homer.

Josh Taylor (1-1), the third of seven pitchers deployed by the Royals in a bullpen game, was credited with the win. Scott Barlow picked up the save in a second straight game to give him six for the season as the Royals claimed just their third series of the season.

Royals pitchers had 13 strikeouts — five coming with runners in scoring position.

Padres starter Yu Darvish, who gave up four runs on six hits and two walks with six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings, took the loss to fall to 2-3.

The Padres have lost nine of their last 11 games to slip into fourth place in the National League West.

Jake Cronenworth tied the game at 1-1 in the fifth with the Padres’ first homer in 38 innings — Cronenworth’s first since April 15. However, the Padres managed to score just two runs from three bases-loaded situations — once with no outs in the sixth and twice with one out in the fourth and seventh.

Center fielder Trent Grisham struck out four times — twice with the bases loaded and one out and once with runners on second and third with one out.

And the Padres’ seventh inning ended with Juan Soto thrown out at home while trying to score on a two-out, bases-loaded Aroldis Chapman pitch that sailed to the backstop and ricocheted back to catcher Salvador Perez, who made the tag.

Of the nine walks issued by Royals pitchers, only one scored. The Padres stranded 12 runners, including six in scoring position. They were 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position.

–Field Level Media