SAN DIEGO — Back home after a trip that felt like “forever,” Manny Machado stood at his locker Tuesday afternoon as he faced a collection of local media members and video cameras. The San Diego Padres had salvaged a 5-5 finish to their three-city trek by sweeping the Miami Marlins. The offense had gone from the worst in the majors to a .780 OPS over the past 30 games. The team’s record was back at .500, less than a week from a trade deadline that could bring significant change.And Machado, the star third baseman, might as well have been speaking from inside a bunker.“I think there’s a lot of good players right now that are doing their job, and we’re kind of rolling as a group,” Machado said. “I think all of you guys — not fans, for you guys watching; reporters in front of me — I don’t think you guys saw us doing this or getting here, but here we are. I think we’re going to finish off strong as a group.”Didn’t see them getting back from where?Why haven't there been many MLB trades yet?Andy McCullough“Yeah, I mean, you guys love writing negative about us all year, so hopefully just some positives start coming out,” Machado said.A little more than 24 hours later, the Padres completed a two-game sweep with Wednesday’s 3-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies. They have taken advantage of a pliant portion of their schedule, winning five consecutive games for the first time since April. They have not lost since they began experimenting with a version of “pitching chaos.”Surrounding mediocrity has helped revive this Padres season. At 55-53, San Diego is only 1 1/2 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Philadelphia Phillies; the latter two teams, with identical records, occupy the National League’s second and third wild-card spots. This means the Padres have positioned themselves to buy more than they sell, though complicating factors remain.Team decision-makers were scheduled to meet this week to discuss Monday’s trade deadline and related financial matters, according to people briefed on the Padres’ plans but not authorized to speak publicly. The sale of the franchise is still pending; an owners’ vote is not expected until sometime after the deadline. For now, the prevailing belief at Petco Park is that president of baseball operations A.J. Preller, despite a 30th-ranked farm system, will not be permitted to take on much payroll.