SAN DIEGO -- Walker Buehler had another rough outing and has allowed 16 earned runs in his last two starts.
The Padres’ offense had an equally bad night, getting only eight singles and advancing just one runner to second base.
“That didn’t look good, feel good, taste good. We’ve got to wash that off real quick and get back at it,” manager Craig Stammen said after an 8-0 loss to the Diamondbacks on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series between teams struggling to get into the playoff race.
With Buehler faltering just a few pitches in, the Padres lost one night after snapping their eight-game losing streak -- their longest in 13 years -- with a 5-2 victory at Dodger Stadium.
The Padres and Diamondbacks came in tied for second in the NL West, 14 games behind the Dodgers and four games out of the final NL wild card spot. It was San Diego (44-46) that dipped back into third place and back to two games under .500 after being shut out for the second time in three games.
Buehler (5-5) allowed seven runs on seven hits in five innings, with the big blow being Max Kepler’s three-run home run in a four-run third inning. The right-hander also committed the first of two Padres errors in a two-run first inning.
Last Wednesday, Buehler took the loss in San Diego’s 23-3 defeat to the Chicago Cubs, their second setback by double digits in five games. He allowed nine runs and seven hits in four innings in his shortest start since April 22.
“Second start in a row, can’t blame the weather conditions like in Chicago,” Stammen said. “He was leaving balls over the plate and guys were doing damage on it. There were a few seeing-eye singles tonight, a couple misplays in the first inning. The big hit was the home run Max Kepler hit. He just avoided that in all his previous starts in the month of June.”
The Diamondbacks, who had lost six of their previous nine, got a jump on the Padres when Ketel Marte tripled on Buehler’s second pitch. Center fielder Jackson Merrill misplayed the fly ball and watched it carom off the base of the wall. Buehler hit Geraldo Perdomo with his next pitch, Perdomo stole second base and Buehler’s throw sailed into center field for an error, allowing Marte to score. Kepler singled in Perdomo with two outs.
Buehler allowed four straight hits with one out in the third, capped by Kepler’s three-run homer that followed Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s RBI single.
“The strikes are not good enough, obviously,” Buehler said. “We get back home, and get a win yesterday, and I kind of want to carry momentum and just deflate our team, kind of right off the jump. So, you know, not a lot of good, but we'll keep working.”
Buehler said that in Chicago, “it was probably the worst delivery day that I had this year, and there's not a whole lot to say.”
Against Arizona, “I felt good. I felt my stuff was fine. I made some bad pitches in bad spots, and didn't get ahead enough. At this point in my career, the little details matter a lot more than maybe they did back in the day. And so, it's just hard. You go on a good little run, and then give up 16 in two games, it's difficult.
“Especially when, I think, at this stage of my career, I'm supposed to be a guy that can kind of help us get some momentum, or at least give ourselves a chance, and you give up those kinds of numbers, there’s not a whole lot you can do from there.”