Padres' ongoing funk not limited to offensive struggles

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres dropped Sunday’s series finale against the Mets, 7-3, as they failed to build on Saturday’s dramatic, come-from-behind victory.

Here’s some instant reaction from Petco Park, after San Diego’s 11th defeat in the last 13 games:

The offensive funk is now a team-wide funk

Randy Vásquez has been one of the Padres’ most reliable starters this season. On Sunday, he lasted only four-plus innings and allowed four runs on eight hits. Yuki Matsui, who entered play Sunday with a 0.53 ERA, allowed a pair of home runs. When it rains, it pours.

This is no longer just about the Padres’ offense. Their rotation needs to be better than it’s been lately. And their bullpen needs to be better, too.

“Unfortunately, we kind of have a lot of guys right now, where it feels like nothing’s going our way right now,” said manager Craig Stammen. “Last night, a little bit went our way, today not too much. We’ll get back at it tomorrow and see if we can figure things out.”

The struggles on offense remain the most notable, of course. This is not a rotation capable of routinely shutting down opponents -- at least not while a couple of the most important arms remain on the injured list. And bullpens are volatile -- even the best bullpens have days like Sunday.

But this now seems like a multifaceted issue. It’s no longer as simple as saying, “Well, they didn’t hit,” after Padres losses. They aren’t pitching particularly well either. (Or running the bases, for that matter.)

Machado and Merrill continue to struggle

Say what you will about Fernando Tatis Jr.’s power outage. (And, yes, the Padres absolutely do need him to slug more.) But he’s been excellent at the plate lately. Tatis went 1-for-3 with a walk, a steal and a double, and came a couple feet from his second home run of the season. He’s hitting .385 since May 19 and reaching base at a .444 clip.

I don’t think this is about the Padres needing more from their three stars anymore. I think it’s about them needing more from two of them: Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill.

Merrill has shown some signs of life lately. He went 1-for-3 with an infield hit and a walk Sunday. Still, the Padres need more from him. It’s June, and his OPS is still hovering around .600 (now .604).

Machado’s has dipped back below that .600 mark after his 0-for-4 day Sunday. The simplest fix for the San Diego offense remains getting production from the three big bats. Right now, only one of the three is delivering.

“The good thing is we have very talented players that we’re working with, and they can make adjustments,” Stammen said.

Has Freddy Fermin figured something out?

Because the Padres certainly need him. Fermin’s OPS had dipped below .400 entering Saturday’s game. He hadn’t homered in his first 121 plate appearances. Then, he launched the decisive two-run home run on Saturday night, and you wondered if he’d lucked into one or if something had clicked.

Looks like the latter. Fermin launched a no-doubt two-run homer into the left-field seats on Sunday, just the second time in his career that he’s homered in consecutive games. He tacked on an RBI double in the ninth.

It’s hard to overstate just how badly the Padres need Fermin right now. Luis Campusano remains on the IL with a toe fracture. Rodolfo Durán was never viewed as much of a threat offensively.

The Padres never needed Fermin to be Mike Piazza. They just needed him to sit somewhere around his career numbers entering the season -- .264 with a .685 OPS. If he can return to that level, they’ll feel much better about their catching situation (particularly with trade season approaching and so many needs elsewhere).