SAN DIEGO -- The Padres’ five-game winning streak came to an end with a 4-1 loss to the Giants on Thursday night at Petco Park.
In the context of the National League Wild Card race, it’s a tough one to swallow. The Padres could’ve moved within a game of the idle Phillies and Diamondbacks, who currently occupy the final two spots in the race. Instead, they now sit two games back.
But the Padres have played well enough lately -- and have gained enough ground in the race -- to earn some grace for a loss like this one. So long as they can bounce back from it.
“It was a good stretch,” said Padres manager Craig Stammen. “We’ve been playing good baseball. We’re not going to win every game the rest of the year. So, you’ve got to keep it in perspective, get back at it tomorrow.”
Or, as Fernando Tatis Jr. put it: “It’s just one step back to humbleness -- and then we go again.”
Here are some takeaways from Petco Park:
A clear need in the rotation
The Padres have largely proven that their radical new pitching strategy is the right one. (At least with the 13 pitchers currently at their disposal.) They entered play 5-0 since they fully committed to it.
But they’ve also made it clear that -- if given the choice -- they’d prefer five workhorse starters on their staff.
That should still be the goal. If nothing else, Thursday’s game reiterated the Padres’ biggest needs at the forthcoming Trade Deadline (Monday, 3 p.m. PT). An all-hands-on-deck bullpen game is a fine strategy once per trip through the rotation. Maybe twice.
But as things stand, the Padres are using it for three-fifths of their starts. That doesn’t seem like a sustainable way to reach October. Or even late August, when Nick Pivetta and/or Joe Musgrove could return from injury.
It doesn’t need to be. By the next time this rotation turn comes around, the Padres seem almost certain to have added at least one starter.
There’s room to buy on offense as well
The Padres’ biggest need at the Deadline is a starting pitcher. Their second biggest need is a starting pitcher.
But if they’ve checked both of those boxes … another bat couldn’t hurt.
Seriously, offense is not the priority. At least not anymore. Entering play Thursday, the Padres have been a legitimate top-five offense since mid-June. One game doesn’t undo the strides this offense has made.
But it might be a reminder: Miguel Andujar (right wrist fracture) and Samad Taylor (right oblique strain) remain weeks away from a return. A bench bat couldn’t hurt -- even if it’s just a corner outfield/DH type.
On Thursday, the Padres’ offense was held in check by left-hander Robbie Ray (a trade candidate himself). He pitched six innings of one-run ball, and three Giants relievers followed with a scoreless inning apiece.
“It just kind of got away from us a little bit offensively,” said Tatis, who robbed Rafael Devers of a home run for the second year in a row. “We could not put it together as a whole group today. One of those days. You just regroup and get ready for tomorrow.”
A strong effort from Vásquez
The most obvious downside to San Diego’s current pitching gameplan is the burden it could potentially place on the team’s middle relievers.
“That’s probably the biggest downfall of the strategy -- just wearing people out,” Stammen said.
As such, when the Padres have the opportunity to preserve their bullpen -- to get length from one of the many long relief options available -- they need to take it.
On Thursday night, Randy Vásquez delivered. He entered with one out in the fifth and covered the remaining 4 2/3 innings. Not only did he pitch scoreless ball, keeping the Padres in the game, he also preserved a host of middle relievers, keeping them fresh for another day.
“Stinks to lose, but sometimes if you lose properly, it sets you up better for the next day and the days going forward,” Stammen said. “Hopefully Randy’s outing is that kind of outing for us.”
The Padres have another bullpen day scheduled for Friday. If they win, there will be plenty of credit due to Vásquez, even though he almost certainly won’t pitch.