Two players that have emerged in July for the San Diego Padres in July following early-season struggles are Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill. Their resurgence was on full display with back-to-back late game home runs on July 26 that led to a 5-3 victory over the Miami Marlins.

The Padres are currently sitting at .500 following a sweep of the Marlins, who have gone from being of the hottest teams in MLB to logging a franchise record 12-game losing streak. 

Prior to July, Machado was only batting .189 with a .673 OPS and an 85 wRC+. In July, he has posted a .288 batting average, a .964 OPS and a 161 wRC+. 

Merrill has followed in his footsteps, as he was batting .213 with a .613 OPS and a 71 wRC+ before producing a .298 batting average, a .905 OPS and a 147 wRC+ in July.

Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado come up big in July for Padres

Machado and Merrill have been a solid offensive pairing in July and have provided the Padres with clutch performances. 

On July 5 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Merrill hit a RBI single to put the Padres on the board following a leadoff walk to Machado. On July 21, Merrill hit a game-tying solo shot in the third inning against the Atlanta Braves and Machado later followed with his second home run of the night and his 22nd home run of the season that led to an 8-3 victory. 

The duo's spark has fueled the Padres surge to within striking distance of a NL wild-card spot (two games back). Their game-changing swings have showcased their return to form and if they continue to perform well this could position the Padres to be buyers ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.