SAN DIEGO -- Suffice it to say, the Padres didn't enter the 2021 season thinking they'd reach the Trade Deadline in such dire need of starting pitching.

Alas, here we are.

Blake Snell was roughed up for seven runs across four innings on Wednesday afternoon as the A's rolled to a 10-4 victory and a split of their two-game series at Petco Park this week. Snell was outpitched by Oakland left-hander Sean Manaea, who carried a perfect game into the sixth inning.

Jurickson Profar broke that up with a walk, followed by pinch-hitter Eric Hosmer -- a rumored trade candidate himself -- breaking up the no-hit bid with a bloop single. But the Padres (59-45) never seriously threatened after Snell’s poor start, falling six games back of the Giants (63-37) in the National League West race.

“Honestly, if I keep pitching this way, the chance we make the playoffs -- they're not going to be there,” Snell said. “And I don't want to go home. The last thing I want to do is go home. So I feel this. I'm aware of it. I need to start owning the zone, getting deep in the game and letting the bullpen rest. ... For me, it's what fuels me right now. I'm pitching to get us to the playoffs.”

The Padres' front office has similar goals. It’s now more than 24 hours until the next game, but fewer than 48 hours until the Trade Deadline. The roster could look different when they open a four-game series against the Rockies beginning Thursday night. And while there are a number of areas that could use an upgrade, San Diego’s top priority before Friday's 1 p.m. PT Deadline is clear: starting pitching.

So how did we get here? The Padres made three trades to acquire presumed front-line starters in December and January -- separate deals for Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove and Snell. They returned Dinelson Lamet and Chris Paddack, too, and were expecting breakthroughs from MacKenzie Gore, Adrian Morejon and Ryan Weathers. On paper, this was one of the deepest starting groups in the Majors.

It hasn't played out that way. And from a long list of disappointments, Snell’s performance qualifies as most disappointing. The 2018 American League Cy Young Award winner’s ERA ballooned to 5.44 on Wednesday. Every time he's seemed on the verge of a breakthrough, he's taken a step back. 

Snell, for instance, pitched six innings of one-run ball in Miami on Thursday, which felt like it could’ve been the start of a second-half surge. Then, in the top of the first inning on Wednesday, Snell walked three of the first five hitters he faced before Matt Chapman launched a no-doubt three-run homer. It was 4-0 Oakland before the Padres came to bat.

“The simple answer is: He’s got to get in the strike zone,” said Padres manager Jayce Tingler. “He’s got to get in the strike zone early. He’s got to get in the strike zone often and start challenging guys. He’s fighting for his command.”

Of course, the need for a starting pitcher isn't tied exclusively to Snell. Paddack has struggled, too (though he's been better since the All-Star break). Lamet's elbow/forearm trouble forced him into three stints on the injured list, and, now, a potential move to the bullpen. Among the three young left-handers, only Weathers has broken through. Gore is toiling in the Minors, and Morejon is out for the year following Tommy John surgery.

All of which sets the stage for Deadline week. Despite those rotation setbacks, the Padres appear playoff-bound via one of two Wild Card spots. The NL West remains within striking distance as well. If general manager A.J. Preller can add a reliable starter (or two) to his ranks, it feels like a complete roster.

Now, for the hard part: finding that starter. The Padres have been linked with plenty of big names, including Nationals ace Max Scherzer. If not Scherzer, San Diego would do well merely to add a middle-of-the rotation arm who it'd be comfortable slotting into the No. 3 spot.

“I’m not in the business of speculating or anything like that,” Tingler said. “Our focus right now is those five starters that we have. It’s got to be toward getting them back on track and to continue to improve. … I don’t mean to dodge the question, but honestly it would just be speculation. It depends who it is, et cetera, coming in. 

“So like I said, our main focus is on our five starters right now and bringing them together.”

That’s a fair outlook for the manager of a team that is squarely in playoff contention. You manage the players you currently have, and you do your best to get the most out of them. 

But consider the state of a potential playoff rotation. Darvish and Musgrove are in, though they’ve struggled a bit lately. After them? It's wide open -- clearly ripe for an addition. 

Is that addition an ace to sit ahead of Darvish and Musgrove? Or a No. 3 to sit behind them? To be determined. But the Padres would benefit from either, at the right price. If Snell (or Paddack) can rebound, all the better. But neither has given the front office any reason to be confident in that.

Buckle up. This pitching search might finally have a few answers in the very near future.