It just might be a temporary thing, but the strength of the Padres' rotation has shifted from veterans Tyson Ross and Clayton Richard to rookie left-handers Eric Lauer and Joey Lucchesi since the midpoint of the season (June 25).
After the season's first 82 games, Richard was 7-6 with a 4.23 ERA in 16 starts, and Ross was 5-5 with a 3.32 ERA in 16 starts.
Ross is 0-2 in two starts since then, and has allowed 15 runs on 14 hits and five walks with only two strikeouts in seven innings. Richard is 0-2 in three starts, giving up 12 runs on 21 hits and 10 walks with four strikeouts in 18 innings.
Ross and Richard are a combined 0-4 in five starts since June 27 with a 9.72 ERA and 2.00 WHIP -- allowing 27 runs on 35 hits and 15 walks with six strikeouts in 25 innings.
Meanwhile, Lauer and Lucchesi, graduates of the Padres' 2016 Draft class, are a combined 3-2 with a 1.91 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in six starts since the midpoint of the season -- allowing 10 runs (seven earned) on 25 hits and 11 walks with 27 strikeouts in 33 innings.

Lauer, who Tuesday night was one out away from the first shutout by a Padres' rookie since Clay Hensley in 2006, is 2-1 with a 2.41 ERA over his last three starts -- allowing eight runs (five earned) on 20 hits and four walks with 13 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings.
Lucchesi is 1-1 with a 1.26 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP in his past three starts entering Wednesday night's start against the Dodgers. He has allowed two runs on five hits and seven walks with 14 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings.
In two starts against the Dodgers, Lauer has allowed one run on 11 hits and three walks with 13 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings.
Notes
• One more Lauer footnote from Tuesday night. After issuing a walk to open the second inning, Lauer recorded his Major League-leading ninth pickoff, the most in the first half of a season in franchise history.

• Left fielder William Myers homered in a fourth consecutive game Tuesday to give him six homers over the past four games. Both are notable marks: Myers is the first Padre to homer in four straight games since Matt Kemp and Alex Dickerson did it in July 2016. The club record for consecutive games with home runs is six, by third baseman Graig Nettles in 1984. Myers is the third Padre to hit six homers in a four-game span. Nate Colbert did it twice in '72 and Ken Caminiti did it in '95. Myers is 7-for-17 over the past four games, with the six homers, seven RBIs, six runs scored and three walks. He has a slash line of .298/.354/.606 this season.

• Catcher Austin Hedges' three-run homer Tuesday was his second home run in five games. Over the five-game span, Hedges has gone 7-for-19 (.368) with a double, the two homers, five RBIs and two runs scored with a walk for a slash line of .368/.400/.739. Hedges is hitting .286 (10-for-35) since coming off the disabled list, and he is now hitting a season-high .209.