Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.
These are happier days.
The Padres have won seven of their last 10 games, and are fresh off a three-game sweep of the reigning World Series-champion Chicago Cubs.
"We played three all-around solid games against the Cubs," Padres manager Andy Green said Wednesday afternoon. "Good pitching, timely hitting and some really nice defensive plays."
The series against the Cubs may have been the Padres' best three-game stretch so far this season.
What made it even better was that players who are key to the Padres' future played major roles in the sweep -- Hunter Renfroe had two game-winning hits, Franchy Cordero had a great display of speed on offense and defense, Austin Hedges contributed with his bat and glove and Dinelson Lamet posted a second straight win, while the bullpen allowed no runs and one hit over the last 15 2/3 innings.

I'm not saying the Padres have turned the corner.
There is still work to be done. Most of the players the Padres' future depends on are still in the lower Minor Leagues. Those on the Major League roster are still making costly mistakes at times.
And there is no denying their 22-33 record. If misery loves company, the Giants are also 22-33. Before their current 7-3 run, the Padres had lost seven of eight games, as starting pitchers struggled to get out of the early innings.
My guess is this will continue to be a roller-coaster season, a season of transition.
But some good things are happening. There are some positive trends. It is actually fun to watch the younger players, and dream about what 2019 or 2020 might be.
Worth noting
• Cordero was 1-for-4 with his first Major League triple and a run scored Wednesday. Since being promoted from Triple-A El Paso on Saturday, when the Padres' other rookie center fielder (Manuel Margot) went on the 10-day disabled list with a calf injury, Cordero has hit safely in four of his five starts, and gone 5-for-16 (.313).
• Third baseman Ryan Schimpf hit his team-leading 14th homer Wednesday. But he still has polarizing numbers. He has only 25 RBIs, and is hitting .168 with a .296 on-base percentage, although his slugging percentage is .452. He also has 62 strikeouts in 186 plate appearances.

• Right-hander Luis Perdomo went seven innings for the first time this season on Wednesday, allowing one run on three hits and two walks, with four strikeouts. He also got only one run of support while he was in the game. Perdomo entered with the seventh worst run-support average in the Major Leagues, and the fourth worst in the National League. Despite five quality starts in his last seven outings, Perdomo still doesn't have a win this season.
• Second baseman Yangervis Solarte was 1-for-4 with the game-winning RBI on a grounder in the eighth inning Wednesday. Since moving into the No. 2 spot in the batting order May 23, Solarte is hitting .375 (12-for-32), with seven walks and a .487 on-base percentage. He has four RBIs and three runs scored in that stretch, although he has not homered since May 2.