Bogaerts' homer not enough as Padres' bullpen slips up

SAN DIEGO -- On most nights, the Padres will take their chances with a bullpen like this one. This was not most nights.

The Cubs broke open a close game late, scoring six runs against the San Diego ’pen, en route to an 8-3 victory on Tuesday. Here are some takeaways from Petco Park:

Bogaerts’ eventful night

After the Padres fell behind, 2-0, in the second, Xander Bogaerts launched a towering solo homer to the third level of the Western Metal Building in left field. It was his fifth homer of the season, which leads the team. His .812 OPS is the best among all Padres regulars.

Bench coach Randy Knorr managed the final few innings on Tuesday and will serve as acting manager on Wednesday, after Craig Stammen had to leave to attend a funeral. After the game, Knorr offered his assessment of Bogaerts at the plate.

“I see a very confident player right now,” Knorr said. “He’s in a great place. [Hitting coach Steven] Souza and Xander have done a lot of work to get to where they are now. He’s just staying with it. He’s working hard every day. It’s starting to show.”

Bogaerts finished 1-for-3 with a walk on Tuesday -- and was it ever an eventful walk. He worked Cubs starter Edward Cabrera for nine pitches. Two of those pitches were initially called strikes, but were overturned when Bogaerts challenged.

What a development for the Padres, who have been hoping to see this version of Bogaerts for most of his Padres tenure. Their superstars aren’t quite mashing yet. Jackson Merrill is struggling. Fernando Tatis Jr. hasn’t tapped into his power. Manny Machado -- just when he was getting going -- is now sidelined with a minor calf issue.

But Bogaerts is shining.

Middle relief questions?
No one doubts the dominance at the back end of the Padres’ bullpen. Mason Miller is practically unhittable (fair/foul calls aside). Jason Adam has returned from injury with a vengeance. And Adrian Morejon -- after an early season blip -- looks like himself again.

It’s probably the best back-end trio in baseball. But the Padres are convinced they have the best bullpen in baseball. The whole thing. Which means a night like this one shouldn’t be happening.

Kyle Hart, David Morgan and Wandy Peralta combined to allow six runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Hart and Morgan dealt with command issues and put too many runners on base. Peralta served up a three-run homer to Pete Crow-Armstrong, putting the game out of reach.

“It’s hard to fall behind those guys and give them free passes, good counts to hit,” Knorr said. “It just kind of got away from us a little bit right there.”

On the whole, the Padres’ middle relief has been mostly solid. Bradgley Rodriguez, in particular, has been an early standout. But after a night like this one -- and an implosion in Mexico City on Sunday -- it feels like there’s room for improvement.

Speaking of which … Jeremiah Estrada, who is currently rehabbing right elbow tendinitis, pitched a scoreless inning at Triple-A El Paso. Yuki Matsui, recovering from a left groin strain, has been sharp across nine rehab appearances. (Most notably, he’s struck out 12 and walked only one.)

Those middle innings might soon get a shakeup.

Buehler makes it work

It’s been an up-and-down first month with the Padres for Walker Buehler. He’s had some good starts for San Diego. And some poor starts. His start on Tuesday night was … adequate. Somewhere in between.

Take the differing assessments of Buehler himself and Knorr as proof.

“Just not good enough,” Buehler said. “I’ve got to get deeper and get more efficient. … I put our bullpen in a bad spot.”

“Walker did a great job for us tonight, kept us in the game for five,” Knorr said. “That’s all we can ask.”

To be more precise: Buehler lasted 4 2/3 innings. Only 48 of the 92 pitches he threw were strikes. But when Buehler needed to make a pitch to escape trouble, he usually did. He allowed only two runs. But …

“I’m tired of being really close,” Buehler said.

There are still concerns at the back end of the San Diego rotation. Big ones. But with a bullpen like this, Knorr isn’t wrong. The Padres are only asking that their back-end starters keep them in games for five innings or so. Buehler just about did that.