SAN DIEGO -- Years from now, you’ll remember it as “the bee game.”

The baseball season carries enough ups and downs that the Padres’ early-June slide probably won’t carry much long-term significance. Their current struggles certainly aren’t as memorable as the swarm of bees that invaded Petco Park and delayed proceedings for 28 minutes in the third inning Sunday afternoon.

Still, it’s obvious the Padres missed something of an opportunity this weekend. They returned to Petco Park for a 10-game homestand, with a chance to establish their credentials as contenders in the National League Wild Card race. Instead, they dropped two of three to the Marlins, owners of the NL’s worst record.

• Box score

Worryingly, the two losses weren’t particularly close. Miami knocked around Padres starter Matt Strahm, en route to a 9-3 victory on Sunday afternoon. It came on the heels of a 9-3 defeat on Saturday.

“We lost two of three baseball games,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “That's ultimately all it comes down to. You don't want to lose a series to anybody at home.”

Green was close to pulling Strahm entirely, had the delay lasted much longer than half an hour. The team discussed whether Strahm should throw in the batting cage during the delay, and ultimately Strahm decided against it. He was knocked around for two runs in each of the next two innings.

Afterward, both Green and Strahm were quick to avoid using the bees as an excuse for the poor outing. Strahm allowed seven runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings, his worst start since his season debut. 

“Matt has been really good for us,” Green said. “He just wasn’t his sharpest today.”

The San Diego offense wasn’t much better. Over the first six innings, Padres hitters mustered just one hit, a shift-beating bunt from Austin Allen to open the third. Hunter Renfroe went deep in the seventh and the ninth, as he took over the team lead with 17 home runs. But by then, the game was well out of reach.

In fact, it was so far out of reach that the Padres called on third baseman Ty France to pitch the ninth inning -- an effort to save their beleaguered bullpen. Austin Hedges, who hadn’t played anywhere but catcher since his sophomore year of high school, filled in at third base.

France was surprisingly effective. With a fastball hovering around 80 mph, he made quick work of the Marlins, allowing only an opposite-field single to Brian Anderson.

The Padres, of course, would’ve preferred to avoid that situation all together. They’ve now dropped five of seven heading into their three-game series against the first-place Phillies this week.

Now, here’s where it’s worth noting that San Diego has already weathered a few storms this season. The Padres dropped six straight in mid-April to fall to .500. They responded by reeling off a five-game winning streak. A month later, they dropped six of seven and fell below .500 for the only time. They responded with another five victories in a row.

“It's just playing baseball,” Renfroe said. “You play 162 games. You're going to have your ups. You're going to have your downs. ... Some days this happens. You bounce back.”

Once again, it appears the Padres’ resolve is going to be tested this week. They’d like to remember “the bee game” as merely a minor blip in a tide-turning season.