Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.
Rest doesn't seem to be an ally of Padres closer Brad Hand.
When Hand works with two or fewer days rest, the left-hander has a 1.23 ERA, with a 0.92 WHIP and a .147 opponents' batting average.
When Hand works with three or more days of rest -- which he did Sunday afternoon in Atlanta, where he gave up a two-run homer -- he has a 7.11 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP and a .250 opponents' batting average.
Of course, the numbers are skewed. Twenty-seven of Hand's 33 appearances have come with two days or fewer rest. The sample size with three or more days of rest is really small.
Hand has a 2.89 ERA the nine times he has worked on the second day of his nine back-to-back appearances. He has a 0.00 ERA when working with a day off between and a 0.56 ERA the 13 times he has entered the game with two days rest. But his ERA is 9.00 with three days rest.
Padres manager Andy Green said earlier this season that Hand's stuff appears "sharper the more he is used." Of course, there is a tipping point with every reliever where he can be used too much.
Hand worked 82 games -- one shy of the Padres' single-season record of 83 set by Craig Lefferts in 1986 -- in his first season with San Diego in 2016. He worked in 72 games last year and is on pace to again appear in 72 contests this season as both the closer and a high-leverage reliever.
NOTEBOOK
• The Padres' streak of winning series ended at five in a row when they dropped three of four over the weekend in Atlanta. The Padres had won five straight series for the first time since the 2010 season. The Padres are 18-21 at home, which includes taking two of three in Monterrey, Mexico, and 16-19 on the road. The Padres finished 5-5 on the just-concluded trip and are 12-14 in their last 26 games away from Petco Park. The Padres went 16 straight innings without a run Saturday and Sunday before scoring in the eighth inning of the series finale.
• Right-hander Matt Strahm has allowed one run on five hits and a walk with 13 strikeouts in 10 innings in his four "bullpen starts" since May 27. That is a 0.90 ERA and a 0.60 WHIP. On Sunday in Atlanta, Strahm allowed a hit with five strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings -- equaling his career high in strikeouts. In eight appearances as a reliever, Strahm has a 3.48 ERA in 10 1/3 innings.
• Rehabbing Padres Austin Hedges and William Myers each homered for Triple-A El Paso on Sunday. Catcher Hedges went 2-for-4, while right fielder Myers finished 1-for-4. Each is hitting .250 on his rehab assignment. Center fielder Franchy Cordero (.259) was 0-for-4.
• Shortstop Freddy Galvis went 8-for-13 during the final three games in Atlanta, including Friday's career-best 5-for-5. He also had a double, his fourth homer and four RBIs over the three days to raise his batting average from .227 to .246.