SAN DIEGO -- It was the only fitting way the Padres could’ve ended a month like this.

Entering July, the Friars sat a game above .500 at 42-41, holding legitimate playoff aspirations for the first time in nearly a decade. On Tuesday, they ended the month by coughing up a four-run lead in an 8-5 loss to the Orioles, owners of the second-worst record in the Majors.

• Box score

With the loss -- and Wednesday’s impending day off -- San Diego finished July 8-16, falling seven games below .500 and seven games back in the National League Wild Card race.

“We've just got to play good baseball,” said first baseman Eric Hosmer. “We're getting to the point now where we've just got to win.”

Even if they do, it’s hard to envision a scenario in which the Padres creep back into the playoff picture. Ahead of Wednesday’s 1 p.m. PT Trade Deadline, it’s clear the front office will keep its focus on the future.

Of course, the future seems bright, and there are reminders of it every day, even when the team is slumping. On Tuesday, Fernando Tatis Jr. launched his second leadoff homer in as many games, and Manny Machado went deep two batters later.

But the Padres would like to see their bright future become the present sooner or later. To do so, they’ll need to address questions in the bullpen and the rotation -- both of which floundered on Tuesday afternoon.

Dinelson Lamet continued his shaky return from Tommy John surgery. Again, the right-hander flashed some excellent stuff, but his command began to elude him in the fourth inning, and the O's scored three runs in the frame.

In five starts since his return, Lamet still hasn’t lasted more than five innings, though he’s been on a strict limit of around 90 pitches. After he missed a season and a half, there was always going to be rust to shake off. But it’s fair to wonder just how secure Lamet’s long-term place in the rotation is.

For now, the Padres plan to continue giving Lamet regular starts, hoping he’ll realize his potential soon enough. Lamet thinks he’s close.

“The more hitters I see, the more comfortable I am, and I think that's going to continue,” Lamet said. “After 15 months not throwing a baseball, I'm going to have some control issues. I'm going to have some mechanical stuff. As that goes on, as I see more hitters, it's going to get better.”

Of course, despite his command issues, Lamet exited with a two-run lead on Tuesday afternoon. But left-hander Matt Strahm coughed up two runs in the seventh, and then Chris Davis -- who hadn’t homered against a lefty all season -- put the Orioles on top with a solo shot off Strahm in the eighth.

“We like Matt Strahm vs. Chris Davis,” San Diego manager Andy Green said. “It didn't play out well for us, but we like him in that situation. That's not an unfavorable matchup for us. We trust in those guys. It just wasn't a good day.”

Navigating a beleaguered bullpen

Earlier this month, the organization made a decision to promote three top pitching prospects as reinforcements for a struggling bullpen. Andres Munoz, Adrian Morejon and Michel Baez offered the kind of electric stuff the Padres were sorely lacking.

For the most part, that decision has paid dividends. But all three will have their workloads monitored for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, in the rotation, Lamet and Chris Paddack are being watched closely.

Those restrictions have stretched San Diego's pitching staff thin, and it came back to bite the Friars in a big way on Tuesday.

Morejon and Munoz were unavailable. So were Luis Perdomo and Robbie Erlin, who had pitched four innings apiece over the last two games.

“This last week has probably been as challenging as any point in time I've been here,” Green said of managing the bullpen. “We had the four guys available today. … It just wasn’t a great one for Matt.”

Because of Lamet’s command issues and his pitch count, the Padres were left to eat the final four innings with only four relievers available.

Green mapped out a scenario in which Craig Stammen would cover the sixth. Strahm, the team’s most reliable multi-inning option, would take the seventh and eighth. And closer Kirby Yates would take the ninth -- leaving Baez for extras, if needed.

That plan backfired in the seventh.

“With Matt, you could almost tell from the get-go it wasn't coming out as well as it normally does," Green said. “A lot of our guys in the bullpen are tired right now. We've covered an enormous amount of innings over the last week, and you can kind of see it on guys.”

On a different day, it’s easy to envision Green summoning, say, Munoz or Perdomo to cover for Strahm. They weren’t available.

Baez was, however, and Green considered using the hard-throwing right-hander earlier in the game. But that would’ve left San Diego exposed in the event of extra innings, so Green made a choice.

“In hindsight, maybe you just manage that game to get through nine innings and hope you win it with no coverage in the 10th,” Green mused. “... But we trust Matt Strahm.”

The Padres have a much-needed day off on Wednesday, which will afford their beleaguered bullpen a chance to reset. Still, it’s easy to envision this problem arising again later in the season. Expect the organization to shuttle more arms between Triple-A El Paso and the Majors when it does.

In the meantime, Green espoused the idea that there’s plenty to look forward to once the reins are off San Diego's young arms.

“More so than any point in time since I've been here, this group has a chance to win,” Green said. “We've demonstrated a lot of really positive things. We've not been consistent over the last couple weeks. … We’ve played with a measure of constraints right now that some clubs aren't playing through. For the health of these guys going forward into the future, all of it's understandable.

“When those constraints are lifted, and this team's ready to run, I like this group a lot.”