ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- It's not often a baseball team can reset their season record for runs and nearly do the same on the mound with strikeouts, but the Rays came up with 15 runs and 15 strikeouts in an easy 15-1 win over the San Diego Padres at Tropicana Field.

The Rays hit five home runs Tuesday night, and set a franchise record with 35 runs in a three-game span -- the five home runs, including two from red-hot Brad Miller, came within one of another team record.

The Rays (49-69) chased Padres starter Edwin Jackson after only four innings, then tagged reliever Carlos Villanueva for another seven runs, all on home runs. Nick Franklin and Miller had two-run home runs in the fifth, Corey Dickerson added a solo shot in the sixth and Evan Longoria hit his team-best 27th, a two-run shot, in the seventh.



"It was fun to watch, just scoring and scoring and scoring," said Rays pitcher Blake Snell, who held the Padres to one run in five innings to earn the win.



The Padres (50-69) didn't fare much better at the plate, with Rays starter Blake Snell (4-5) striking out eight and relievers striking out seven more Padres batters. San Diego got runners on base, but stranded 10 of them for a frustrating night. They're now 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position in the series.

"You look at a number of guys who are trying to answer a question to themselves if they belong at the major league level," Padres manager Andy Green said. "A number of guys have been here just a short period of time and it's their first real struggle."

Green pointed to the fourth inning, where even though trailing 7-1, the Padres had the bases loaded with one out and ideal hitters up, but Wil Myers and Yangervis Solarte both struck out to end the inning.

"We have our two guys up we'd like to have up," Green said. "More than anything else, we have to understand that each pitcher is a little bit different and it's exploiting what he doesn't do well and staying true to what we do well."

For the second straight night, the Rays combined strong starting pitching with plenty of offensive support, jumping out to a 12-1 lead in the fifth inning behind the rookie Snell.

The Rays, who have struggled with runners in scoring position this season, got a clutch hit in the second inning from catcher Luke Maile, who had five RBIs in his first 19 games with the Rays this season. A single and two walks loaded the bases, and Maile cleared them with a double down the left-field line for a 3-0 lead.

Padres starter Edwin Jackson, who played for the Rays for three years and later threw a no-hitter against them in 2010, got into more trouble in the third, giving up four runs on five hits. Logan Morrison drove in two with a double, and Maile and Nick Franklin each added RBI singles.

Snell (4-5) was in control with eight strikeouts, with the Padres' only run coming on a bases-loaded walk to Alexei Ramirez in the fourth inning. Jackson (3-3) lasted only four innings, giving up nine hits and eight earned runs.

"I need to be more aggressive, need to trust myself," said Snell, who has given up two earned runs or less in seven straight starts.

Miller had a solo home run in the fourth off Jackson, and reliever Carlos Villanueva didn't fare much better, giving up two-run homers in the fifth to Nick Franklin (his fourth) and Miller (24th) for a 12-1 lead.

The Rays lost two infielders to injury Tuesday. Second baseman Logan Forsythe was scratched two hours before the game with back spasms. Shortstop Matt Duffy was pulled in the third inning with what the team said was mild soreness in his left Achilles, the same injury that had him on the disabled list as recently as last week.

Franklin replaced Forsythe and batted leadoff, while Tim Beckham replaced Duffy.

NOTES: Prior to Tuesday, 2B Logan Forsythe had five home runs in his last nine games. ... As rough as the Rays' season has been, manager Kevin Cash improved to 128-151 in his two seasons with Monday's win, surpassing Joe Maddon's win total in his first two seasons. With six more wins, he can pass Lou Piniella for the most wins in any manager's first two seasons in the Rays' short history. ... The Padres recalled RHP Kevin Quackenbush, who went to high school at Tampa Jesuit and played at USF, from Triple-A El Paso. It's Quackenbush's third stint with San Diego this season. To make room on the roster, the Padres optioned RHP Leonel Campos, who gave up five runs in the eighth inning of Monday's loss.