SAN DIEGO -- The Padres' 10-game road trip through St. Louis, San Francisco and Arizona offered a glimpse into the potential for a fun, young ballclub. The Friars played an exciting brand of baseball, dazzling defensively and rallying for victories. They won all three series along the way.

This week, the Padres’ return to Petco Park came in the form of a two-game set against the last-place Rockies. It brought something of a reality check.

The Padres might be a fun, young ballclub. But they're a fun, young ballclub with flaws. Those flaws came to the surface in a pair of non-competitive losses, including Tuesday’s 8-2 defeat.

“You're not going to have a .700 winning percentage all year,” said Wil Myers, who homered for the second time in as many nights. “We're a good team. We'll get it going again.”

Left-hander Nick Margevicius was hit hard over four innings. He’d begun his career with three excellent starts, but the 22-year-old came back to earth in the first inning, when Nolan Arenado lifted an 87 mph fastball for a two-run shot to center.

The Rockies scored three more runs against Margevicius, who was probably better than his line indicated. He allowed five runs, but he also struck out seven hitters. He was done in by some poor batted-ball luck and an inability to control the running game. Rockies baserunners swiped four bags against him.

“That's on me,” Margevicius said. “No matter what's happening at the plate, I can control the running game. I let the game speed up a little bit. That's my fault. I'm going to look at what I was doing, and I'm going to improve on that for sure.”

Of course, Margevicius is pitching in the big leagues well ahead of schedule. He was in Class A Fort Wayne at this time last year. All offseason, the Padres faced questions about their starting rotation, but they opted not to add external help. Despite the early success from their young starters, the same questions persist.

Said Margevicius: “I'm going to have nights like this. It's not all going to be good all the time, but it's something I'm going to learn from.”

On offense, Myers reached base in all four of his plate appearances, and Fernando Tatis Jr. drove in the other run with an opposite-field double. But the team’s hot start has been tempered by struggles from a handful of regulars.

“If there’s one thing not to worry about, it’s this offense,” Myers said. “We’re going to hit.”

The Padres need more production at second base, and probably at catcher. But most concerning is Eric Hosmer's .194/.270/.284 slash line. Following his 0-for-3 night on Tuesday, Padres manager Andy Green sensed his first baseman might have turned a corner. Hosmer drew a fifth-inning walk, and he hit into two outs that featured 100-plus mph exit velocities and .500-plus expected batting averages.

“You walk out of a day, and you hit two balls on the screws and take a walk -- that’s a good day,” Green said. “I thought they were really good at-bats. Continue to do that, and he’s going to hit. He’s going to hit a lot.”

The Padres’ fairy tale start always faced obstacles. They’re tied atop the National League West, but they own a minus-12 run differential.

Something has to give. If the Padres hope to remain competitive in the NL, Tuesday offered the latest evidence that they have question marks to overcome.

Up next
Thursday is Chris Paddack day, as the Reds come to town at 7:10 p.m. PT. The Padres' rookie right-hander has lived up to the hype thus far, having posted a 1.29 ERA in his first three starts. He'll square off with Reds right-hander Tanner Roark, live on MLB.TV.