LOS ANGELES -- The Padres were eliminated over the weekend. But the losses aren't getting any easier to take. Quite the opposite, in fact.

On Wednesday night in Los Angeles, the Padres rallied from a four-run deficit to take a four-run lead by knocking around National League Cy Young contender Max Scherzer. Then, they watched as that lead evaporated in a matter of moments, their bullpen allowing five home runs in quick succession, including three from beleaguered right-hander Emilio Pagán in the span of four batters.

It totaled up to a disheartening 11-9 loss before a frenzied Dodger Stadium, dropping San Diego to an unthinkable 78-80 on the season.

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“We score nine runs in a game that Max Scherzer starts, you’ve got to win that game, plain and simple,” Pagán said afterward. “The guys deserved to win tonight.”

Offensively, San Diego pounded out 13 hits, as Manny Machado and Victor Caratini both took Scherzer deep. Despite their weary bullpen, the Padres led comfortably in the seventh inning when they turned the ball over to Daniel Hudson.

“With some guys down, I felt good with the four-run lead with Hudson and Pagán, and going from there,” manager Jayce Tingler said.

Hudson surrendered Mookie Betts’ solo homer. Max Muncy, AJ Pollock and Cody Bellinger took Pagán deep. Then Corey Seager authored the game-winning blast off right-hander Nabil Crismatt. It was the latest gut-punch -- really, five gut-punches -- in a season full of them for the Padres. They entered the year with World Series aspirations and now seem like a longshot to even finish .500.

The game unraveled quickly on the Padres. When the dust settled, they were left to address the two primary concerns surrounding Pagán these days. His performance and Tingler’s decision-making surrounding his usage.

Regarding his performance, Pagán owned it.

“I wish I had better answers,” he said. “This has been happening to me for way too long with, in my opinion, too good of stuff. … It’s been a very frustrating stretch for me. First half of the season, I threw the ball great, and the results were there. To be honest, I feel like my stuff has gotten better the second half, and I’ve been getting my teeth kicked in.

“It hasn’t been a lot of fun for me individually. The team has been through a lot of frustration as well.”

Lately, it’s been especially bleak on both fronts. The Padres have dropped five straight and eight in a row to the Dodgers. Meanwhile, Pagán, who sported a 3.11 ERA at the All-Star break, has surrendered eight homers in his last 9 1/3 innings.

By nearly every advanced metric, Pagán’s stuff is doing the same thing it was during the first half. He’s analyzed everything. On top of that, Pagán has gone to great lengths to try to decipher whether he’s tipping his pitches. For all he -- and the Padres -- can tell, he isn’t.

That’s why it’s so frustrating. There’s no answer in sight. Nonetheless, Pagán vowed to figure it out.

“I know the type of talent I can be on the mound,’ Pagán said. “Unfortunately for the San Diego Padres organization, I haven’t been what I can be. That’ll change. If I’m kept around, I will get better.

“I don’t know if I’ve been this angry in a long time at my individual performance on a baseball field. I’ll get better. I care about this game too much to not get better.”

As for the decision-making that saw a struggling Pagán on the mound in the eighth-inning of a hold situation at Dodger Stadium?

“We’re a little bit limited with just where guys are at right now,” Tingler said. “But as far as Pagán, he hasn’t been throwing the ball to his ability. But he’s somewhat fresh. … I’ve got a ton of confidence in him. I do. It was just one of those nights.”

Tingler noted that right-hander Pierce Johnson was “a little bit sore” and unavailable. Craig Stammen is on the injured list as he recovers from flu-like symptoms. The Padres were essentially left with Pagán, Crismatt, Austin Adams and the possibility of asking Mark Melancon for a multi-inning save.

Put that way, the decision to call on Pagán comes into focus. But the Dodgers tagged him for three homers and a double on lots of hard contact. It prompts the question of why Pagán was allowed to remain on the mound so long. Tingler said he liked the matchups and that the Padres were, “Trying to get through another out and possibly bring in Mark [Melancon for a four-out save].”

By the time they got the out they were looking for, the game was tied. By the time they got the next one, they trailed by two.

It was that kind of night. Really, that kind of season.