Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.
Late in winnable games, manager Andy Green has been depending on four, late-inning relievers - left-handers Brad Hand, Ryan Buchter and Jose Torres and right-handed closer Brandon Maurer to get the Padres successfully home.
     
And over the last 11 games since April 21, the quartet has turned in outstanding performances.
     
Combined, the four have allowed two runs on 11 hits and two walks with 27 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings.
     
That's an earned run average of 0.83, a WHIP (hits and walks divided by innings pitched) of 0.60, a strikeout-per-nine-innings count of 11.21 and a strikeout-to-walks ratio of 13.5.
     
All are amazing numbers.
     
Individually, Torres has allowed no runs on one hit and no walks with seven strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings in four outings in the Padres last 11 games. His earned run average has dropped from 7.56 to 4.85.
     
Maurer has allowed no runs on one hit and no walks with eight strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings in three outings to lower his ERA from 4.05 to 2.38.
     
Buchter has allowed one run on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings while pitching in six of the Padres' last 11 games. His ERA has tumbled from 4.76 to 3.00.
     
And workhorse Hand has allowed one run on four hits and a walk with eight strikeouts over seven innings in six outings. That also happens to be the only run Hand has allowed in 13 appearances this season. His overall ERA - 0.64.
     
GAME NOTES:
     
--CF Manuel Margot's 29 hits in April were the most ever by a Padres rookie for the month of April. The old record was 24 hits by shortstop Khalil Greene (2004) and infielder-outfielder Xavier Nady (2003). Margot's 10 multi-hit games this season are two more than any other Major League rookie. Margot is 9-for-24 with a walk opening games in the 25 times he has been the Padres' lead-off hitter.
     
--2B Yangervis Solarte's third home run of the season Tuesday night was his first homer since the Padres' seventh game on April 9. He has hit safely in 10 of the Padres' last 11 games, going 17-for-45 (.378) with four doubles, a homer, seven RBIs and seven runs scored.
     
--1B William Myers has hit safely in 19 of his last 22 games, going 29-for-92 (.315) with six doubles, two triples, six home runs, 18 RBIs and 14 runs scored.
     
--3B Ryan Schimpf has seven homers on the season, including four in his last six games. He is 6-for-18 over those six games with a double, the four homers, eight RBIs and seven runs scored while raising his batting average from .102 to .156.
     
--SS Eric Aybar's eight-game hitting streak ended Tuesday night. The eight-game streak is tied with Solarte for the second-longest by a Padre this season to Myers' 11-game streak (April 9-20). Aybar was 10-for-31 during the streak.