The Padres opened up their series against the Diamondbacks in the desert the right way. Despite a 25-32 road record on the season, Blake Snell helped to give them the momentum early with a quality start. The Padres took a 7-2 lead into the 8th before Tommy Pham’s first homer as a Diamondback made it a 7-5 game. The Padres would gather some clutch insurance runs in the top of the ninth to go up 10-5, however, and shut the door on Arizona to secure a victory in the series opener.

Here are three takeaways from the win:

Snell delivers a strong performance

After dropping a disappointing series to the Dodgers, the Padres needed Blake Snell to come out and set a tone for them. Snell delivered in a big way as he pitched 6 innings and allowed just 2 runs. He struck out 7 along the way and had the Padres winning 7-2 heading into the 7th. While he did have a slight control issue and walked 4 batters, he was able to weather the storm and give San Diego a chance to put some runs on the board in an effort to grab a much-needed win. Snell’s ERA now sits at an impressive 2.63, and he secured win number 9 in the contest.

San Diego’s two aces, Snell and Yu Darvish will need to deliver more impressive performances such as Snell’s on Friday night if they wish to make up the necessary ground to secure a playoff spot. While things have been disappointing so far, the Padre’s pitching staff potential and star-powered offense prove that they have the tools to make a push if any other team does.

The star players provide some major production

While the past few games have not seen nearly as much offense for the Padres as fans would hope, the lineup returned to its optimal form on Friday as the bats were alive. Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Xander Bogaerts, and Fernando Tatis Jr. went for a combined 10-19 at the plate and were responsible for 7/10 runs that the Padres scored. Xander Bogaerts had the biggest day of them all, as he went 4/5 with 3 RBIs and 1 run scored. He ended up a triple short of the cycle and had the Padres rolling all night. Tatis Jr., Soto, and Bogaerts each added some much-needed insurance in the 9th inning on an RBI double and 2 RBI singles.

These offensive bursts from the San Diego stars come as a very welcomed sight for the team. They prove that the roster constructed by A.J. Preller is one that is built to win games in an exciting fashion. If the pitching staff is able to get themselves in a groove and the offense gets hot, things could begin to look up quickly for the Padres.

Barlow, Cosgrove solid for the bullpen

Although Ray Kerr and Steven Wilson allowed 3 combined runs in their bullpen appearances for the Padres, Scott Barlow and Tim Cosgrove did a nice job holding things down. Barlow’s performance especially comes as an encouraging sign after his initial struggles since being traded to San Diego. Perhaps he will be able to use the outing as momentum going forward as he looks to turn around his season. As for Cosgrove, he once again displayed his talent with another scoreless outing. Cosgrove, through 32.1 innings pitched this season, holds a 1.62 ERA and remains one of the most reliable pieces in the San Diego bullpen. The entire unit as a whole will need to retain their reliability for the team in close games where they need lockdown pitching.

Arizona and San Diego will go at it once again on Saturday night in game 2 of the series.

First pitch is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. PT.