SEATTLE — The way Yu Darvish locked in seemed like a good sign.

The way Fernando Tatis Jr. hit the ball and played right field was encouraging as well.

Manny Machado breaking the franchise record for home runs and driving in four runs in all just seemed like the status quo.

The way Donovan Solano hit reinforced the logic of moving Xander Bogaerts to shortstop.

The way Robert Suarez bounced back after giving up four runs in his last outing to record a four-out save was imperative.

And the Padres beating the Mariners 7-3 allowed them to maintain their hold on the top spot in the National League wild-card race.

Darvish, in his second start since being activated after a 3½-month stay on the injured and restricted lists while dealing with an elbow issue and family matter, allowed two runs in five innings.

Tatis gave the Padres a 3-2 lead in the third inning when he followed singles by Solano and Luis Arraez with a 399-foot wallop to the opposite field and over the wall in right-center.

Machado’s two-run homer in the sixth inning made it 5-2. The 429-foot line drive to center field was his 164th with the Padres, breaking the record Nate Colbert set over the course of the organization’s first five years of existence, from 1969 to ‘74. Machado, who has a .937 OPS in 68 games since June 19, added two more RBIs with a bases-loaded single in the seventh inning.

Solano, who started at first base, singled in his first two at-bats and walked his third time up. He was in the starting lineup for just the sixth time in 22 games but figures to be there a lot more going forward after Bogaerts made the move from second base to shortstop to fill in for the still-ailing Ha-Seong Kim.

Suarez entered the game with two outs and two on in the eighth and finished the game for his 32nd save (and eighth of four outs or more).

For all the positives to come out of Tuesday, though, the biggest was the Padres remaining a half-game up on the Diamondbacks and 2½ ahead of the Braves and Mets as the four teams vie for three wild-card playoff spots.

With an eye on the playoff race — and the playoffs — Darvish locked in over his final three innings. The 38-year-old right-hander made his return six days earlier against the Tigers, going 2⅔ innings and allowing one run in each of the three innings he began.

It was four runs in four innings after Cal Raleigh reached down at his knees to pull a slider 395 feet and into the seats beyond right field in Tuesday’s first inning.

It was five in five after Luke Raley led off the second inning by turning on a 3-1 slider in the middle of the strike zone and pulling it down the right field line and into the seats.

The streak looked like it might continue when the Mariners began the third inning with Josh Rojas singled through the left side and Victor Robles reached on a bunt. But Darvish struck out No.2 hitter Julio Rodríguez, got Raleigh on a fly ball to left field and struck out Randy Arozarena.

Darvish faced just three batters in the fourth inning, though he did allow a two-out single to Jorge Polanco. But Polanco tried to turn his base hit to right-center field into a double and was thrown out by Tatis, who made the throw across his body while still on the run after chasing down the ball.

Two strikeouts began the bottom of the fifth before Victor Robles lined a double over center fielder Jackson Merrill’s head. Darvish finished his night by getting Rodríguez on a groundout to third base.

Jeremiah Estrada retired the Mariners in order in the sixth inning before Tanner Scott allowed a run in the seventh.

Jason Adam entered the game with the bases loaded and one out and got Rodríguez to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Suarez entered the game after Adam issued a pair of two-out walks in the eighth and stranded those runners.

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