SAN DIEGO -- The Padres aren’t merely sneaking up to the postseason party. They’re kicking down the door.

San Diego has won 13 of 14. No team in baseball is hotter. Not all that long ago, the Padres were on the outside of the playoff picture, looking in. Now -- after Sunday’s 7-3 victory over the Marlins -- they’re on the verge of a clinch.

Here’s some instant reaction from Petco Park:

Champagne on ice
In their 58-season existence, the Padres have never reached the postseason in three straight years. They can snap that drought on Tuesday night.

With Sunday’s victory, San Diego lowered its magic number to two. Pending the result of the Diamondbacks’ game against the Yankees, it could go as low as one by Sunday evening. Both National League West rivals are off on Monday, leaving Tuesday as the Padres’ earliest potential clinch date.

But at this point, the Padres have long since turned their attention past simply reaching the postseason. They want the top Wild Card spot -- and with it, the chance to host a Wild Card Series.

On that front, the Padres kept pace with the Cubs, who also won on Sunday. They’re both 87-69, though the Cubs hold the tiebreaker, having won the season series. The Phillies (86-70) also won, and they remain a game back, in the third Wild Card spot.

October Buehler?
Put it this way: In the postseason, Walker Buehler probably isn’t going back out there for the seventh inning, given the strength of the Padres’ bullpen. He’s certainly not keeping the ball with two runners on base.

For six innings on Sunday afternoon, Buehler was brilliant. He entered the seventh having pitched scoreless ball without allowing a Marlins baserunner to reach second base.

In an effort to preserve his bullpen, which covered extra innings on Saturday night, Padres manager Craig Stammen stuck with Buehler for the seventh. And Buehler put two men aboard before allowing Javier Sanoja’s three-run homer with two outs.

The ending was cruel -- but it shouldn’t taint how well Buehler pitched. And, lately, that has been a trend.

Buehler has made 31 starts for the Padres this season and covered 150 innings while being a steadying presence in the rotation. He might even be earning himself a spot in the playoff rotation with his recent performance -- a 3.39 ERA since the All-Star break.

Tatis hits No. 25
Feels like a good time for a reminder: Fernando Tatis Jr. did not hit his first home run until May 30 this season.

He now has 25 of them.

Tatis tacked on a critical insurance run with his seventh-inning blast on Sunday afternoon -- 111.1 mph off the bat and into the Padres’ bullpen in center field. (Specifically, into the glove of setup man Bradgley Rodriguez.)

Tatis has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball in the second half. Twenty of those home runs have come since the All-Star break. It’s certainly no coincidence that the Padres’ offense has surged at the same time Tatis has.