SAN DIEGO — The hits came so fast the Orioles’ pitchers barely had time to scramble to rewater the homer hydration system and bring the pirate hat back to the front of the dugout.

Back-to-back-to-back home runs by Colton Cowser, Coby Mayo and Alex Jackson in the third inning propelled the Orioles to a 7-5 win over the Padres on Wednesday and a series sweep.

“It’s a really hard league that we play in, and anytime you can string together a few hits in a row, and this just happens to be homers, it’s really nice and gratifying,” Mayo said. “As a player, it’s just really nice when you get success.”

This was one of the best series the Orioles have had in weeks, even if it was against a Padres rotation that didn’t make it through five innings in any of the three games. Yet this series was another stark reminder of what the Orioles could have looked like this season had the pieces all been there in April, especially if they had the four bullpen arms they traded.

But what could have been no longer matters, and now, in the last month of the season, holding back potential playoff teams and fighting for future roster spots is all the Orioles have to play for.

“We’ve been on the other side of this the last couple of years. Talking to their coaches a little bit today, there is a lot of pressure over there,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “For us, we have the ability to play loose and free. Now, I do think going forward for the Baltimore Orioles, when we are back to playoff contention, we need to continue to play loose and free.”

Well, it’s easy to play free when the pressure is off and things are clicking. Yet the players still have a lot to prove, including that home run trio of Cowser, Mayo and Jackson.

Cowser, who has been on the injured list twice this season, has taken on the role of starting center fielder since Cedric Mullins was traded at the deadline. He’s had a down year, hitting .215 with a .686 OPS, but two hits on Tuesday and a home run on Wednesday demonstrated who he can be.

Where he fits in next year is dependent on what the Orioles do this winter — he will have a place on the team, but where he lines up will depend on if they add a center fielder or decide to go with Cowser until Enrique Bradfield Jr. is ready.

As for Mayo, proving he can handle first base, while performing offensively, is his challenge for September. The Orioles are giving him the reins at first, with Ryan Mountcastle primarily as the designated hitter, to give him a chance to prove himself when the results of the games don’t matter. If he can do that, a daily spot in the lineup next year can be his. He had three hits this series, including his home run Wednesday, and has been working tirelessly on his defense to try to earn that starting spot next season.

“I think that goes back to the offseason, working really hard and being in the gym and just being relentless in the offseason, because these last few weeks, it’s what you kind of push for in the offseason,” Mayo said. “It can get tiring and it is tiring in the moment, but you kind of have to, whatever you want to do, shower, rinse it off, get ready for the game, go walk in, go to the cage, whatever you need to do to kind of get ready.”

Jackson has the most to prove. Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo are expected to be the catching tandem next year, but there is a scenario in which they keep three catchers, especially if Jackson can prove he can produce. He’s hitting .239 since joining the Orioles in July.

Starting pitcher Cade Povich cruised through five innings, only to run into trouble in the sixth. He allowed a home run to Manny Machado, then loaded the bases with no outs.

“I think I tried to make a little too much of an adjustment going back into the sixth just because they started picking up on some stuff,” Povich said. “Maybe just overadjusted and kind of lost my release a little bit in that sixth inning.”

Povich was replaced by Keegan Akin as two more runs scored before the Orioles got out of the inning. Yennier Cano pitched a 1-2-3 inning to get the save.

“Props to Keegan Akin. Came in, did his job,” Mansolino said. “Keegan’s job in that situation was to give up two runs. Bases loaded, no outs, just give up two runs. Don’t try to save them all. He did it, he got us out of it, and it worked out.”

This article has been updated.