Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.
Rookie right-hander Dinelson Lamet is a recent victim of circumstances.
     
The 25-year-old's earned run average has fallen in each of his last four starts and in nine of his last 10 starts - falling from 6.40 on July 18 to 4.15 today.
     
And over his last four starts, Lamet has a 1.86 earned run average. He has allowed five runs on 18 hits and 12 walks with 28 strikeouts in 24 innings - having gone exactly six innings in each of those four outings.
     
Going back farther, Lamet has a 2.44 earned run average over his last 10 starts.
     
But Lamet is winless since August 15. Why? The Padres have scored a total of four runs in Lamet's five starts since then. They have scored no more than a single run in any of those five days.
     
Before his start Wednesday night in Minnesota - a game the Padres lost long after Lamet had departed - Padres manager Andy Green discussed Lamet's continuing improvement.
     
"If you look back to spring training, he didn't throw the ball very well and he was an early cut from camp for us," said Green of Lamet. "He didn't command the ball at all. He didn't show the slider he has. He pitched well the previous season and pitched himself onto the radar, but his spring training camp wasn't a great showing for him."
     
"So he goes down and throws the ball very well the rest of the minor league camp then starts the season throwing the ball well. For us, it's about Lamet commanding the baseball, throwing the ball for strikes and attacking the zone. You're seeing the stuff that gets good hitters out. And he's doing it repetitively over the last few months."
     
Green was asked about Lamet's changeup.
     
"The changeup is a nice pitch to have," said Green. "You watch his bullpens, it's there, it's useable. For him, it's his distant third pitch right now so you ask yourself how often you want someone to throw a pitch that is clearly inferior to his other two pitches?"
     
"I still like the fastball-slider dominant repertoire from him. But using the change on occasion and getting better with it, it's going to be helpful in the future development."
     
After allowing 11 homers in his first nine Major League starts, Lamet has given up only three in 10 starts since.
     
NOTE WORTHY:
     
--SS Erick Aybar has reached base in six straight games, going 7-for-19 with a pair of walks - raising his batting average from .227 to .236.
     
--RF Jabari Blash is 1-for-15 in his last four games with eight strikeouts.
     
--C Austin Hedges is 4-for-10 in a three-game hitting streak with a double and Wednesday's game-tying home run.
     
--INF Yangervis Solarte has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, going 8-for-33 with a homer and three doubles.
     
--INF-OF Cory Spangenberg is 3-for-26 with one double, three walks, no RBIs and one run scored over his last eight games.