The first step from Cedric Mullins was so precise, a drop of the right shoulder and a gallop to the deepest part of the field, that it seemed possible that the impossible for so many others would occur.

He took off at 27.3 mph — a sprint speed that ranks in the top 1% of Major League Baseball, per Statcast — and lunged, full extension, to snare a deep fly ball from Manny Machado. He bundled into the wall at that 410-foot mark with the ball in his glove and the lead intact, and in that moment came a useful reminder of what Mullins brings to the Orioles.

His hitting hasn’t been as consistent as it once was, although he came through in that department as well Sunday during Baltimore’s 8-6 victory over the San Diego Padres. But Mullins’ glove is a constant, and his ability to track down a 107 mph liner from Machado at the wall put it on display.

Without that catch, Sunday’s game might’ve unfolded differently. It was the eighth inning, with right-hander Seranthony Domínguez on the mound. Machado led off the frame. If that ball lands for extra bases, the task ahead of Domínguez is daunting.

Instead, Domínguez worked a clean inning, and as Mullins left the field, the Orioles fans at Camden Yards serenaded him with applause. The center fielder tipped his cap in appreciation.

“I’m not surprised,” outfielder Anthony Santander said with a laugh. “Every time the ball is hit to that way, I know something is about to happen. He’s amazing, bro. I’ve been seeing it the past years. He’s got great speed. He’s got great jump. He’s got good route to the ball. And that’s the toughest place because it was right in the corner, but he knew.”

Ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline, there are few players who can rest easily. With the departure of longtime teammate Austin Hays, Baltimore showed its willingness to move on from veterans as it searches for ways to improve its standing.

But Mullins brings an it factor that is best described through a highlight reel of stunning catches.

And once Ryan Mountcastle lashed an eighth-inning, two-run single through the left side, there was more room for right-hander Yennier Cano to operate. Cano took the mound for the save situation rather than right-hander Craig Kimbrel, who has allowed six earned runs in his last four games. Manager Brandon Hyde said the decision to stay away from Kimbrel was to offer the veteran a “weekend breather.”

Cano tightroped out of a jam in the ninth to secure the victory — a much-needed win after the Orioles had lost five of six games entering Sunday. He pitched well but soft contact loaded the bases with one out, and the game seemingly ended on an interference play at second base, when Taylor Ward slid into Gunnar Henderson.

Upon replay review, however, there was no interference called. A run scored, but Cano forced another ground ball to end it after Hyde was ejected for arguing the overturned interference decision.

In a flurry of offense — the likes of which hadn’t been seen here in some time — the Orioles posted six runs in the third inning. It was their most runs scored in an inning since they produced seven in the eighth inning of a loss to the Houston Astros on June 21.

That was when a slow spiral began. In the time since that game, Baltimore had gone 12-18 entering Sunday. But the series finale against the Padres showed the high-powered offense once more — at least for one inning.

“We put together our best offensive inning we’ve done in weeks,” Hyde said. “Just taking walks, using the whole field, getting into good counts, not chasing, and getting some middle-of-field, opposite-field hits with runners in scoring position.”

With bases loaded and no outs against right-hander Randy Vásquez, the now-clean-shaven Henderson worked a walk. Then Ryan O’Hearn and Mountcastle hit consecutive run-scoring singles to chase Vásquez before he could record an out in the frame.

The big inning continued against right-hander Enyel De Los Santos when Mullins drove his fifth and sixth RBIs in his last four at-bats. He split the right-center gap with a two-run double to give the Orioles a six-run lead.

However, similar to how the series against the Marlins ended, Baltimore allowed a six-run lead to whittle to one by the sixth.

Right-hander Albert Suárez — making a start against his brother Robert’s team — held San Diego scoreless through four innings. He received help from Henderson, whose diving stop and off-balance throw to first in the second inning looked more like the stellar defense Henderson has shown throughout his career.

But in the fifth a leadoff double and a throwing error from Henderson (the first of two Sunday, giving him five errors in four games) put runners on the corners.

Hyde called them “a couple young mistakes” from Henderson as he attempted to make difficult plays. “I know he’s a little frustrated with it, but it’s not from sitting back on the ball and being careless.”

Three runs scored in the fifth inning before Suárez exited. Still, it was a better showing from Suárez than his last start against the Marlins, when he conceded six runs in two innings.

“Way more aggressive, and I think my pitches were working good,” Suárez said. “I feel like I’m making a good adjustment.”

And, with a two-run homer from Xander Bogaerts in the sixth inning off right-hander Jacob Webb, Baltimore’s advantage shrunk further.

Mullins was there, though, with a sprint and a crash into the wall. Without that play, the lead might’ve slipped away.

“It’s unbelievable the things he does out there,” Mountcastle said.