SAN DIEGO -- Missed opportunities proved especially costly for the Padres on Tuesday night, as they fell to the Reds, 5-3, in 11 innings.
San Diego left the go-ahead run at third in the eighth, left the bases loaded in the ninth, left the winning run at second in the 10th -- and finished just 3-for-20 with runners in scoring position.
Here are some takeaways from the loss at Petco Park:
Taylor brings the energy
The Padres called up Samad Taylor, hoping he would provide a spark. They probably didn’t envision this.
Over the past three games, Taylor has been San Diego’s most impactful offensive player. Since he was called up to take the place of Nick Castellanos on the roster, Taylor is hitting, he’s running, he's stolen a couple bags, and he’s playing excellent defense in left field. Taylor has been everything the Padres hoped he’d be -- and then some
“He’s brought a lot of energy, lot of enthusiasm, and he’s played great baseball,” manager Craig Stammen said. “He’s come up with some big hits.”
Taylor went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk on Tuesday night, and his game-tying single in the 10th sent the game to an 11th inning. It was precisely the type of clutch hit the Padres have been lacking lately -- particularly from their stars.
Not nearly enough from Machado
In the ninth inning, the Padres loaded the bases with one out for Manny Machado, who had already recorded two hits on the night. But he struck out swinging, and Gavin Sheets followed by doing the same, sending the game to extras.
Machado has been an extremely clutch hitter for most of his career. But he’s batting just .163 with runners in scoring position this season.
“I’ll put Manny in those situations tomorrow, the next day, the day after that, the day after that, the rest of the season,” Stammen said. “I trust him. … For me, personally, nobody I’d rather have at the plate.”
Stammen has consistently doubled down on his belief in Machado. Thus far, it’s gone unrewarded. Of all qualified hitters, Machado’s .171 average is the worst in the Majors.
Tatis is heating up at the plate
No, he isn’t homering. (He still only has one all season.) But Fernando Tatis Jr. has been red-hot for the better part of a month now. He recorded four hits on Tuesday night and is reaching base at a .439 clip across his past 15 games.
All he’s missing is some pull-side power. Otherwise, Tatis has been using all parts of the ballpark. He shot a rulebook double the opposite way on Tuesday night.
The Padres are still waiting for Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado to find a groove (and both had two hits on Tuesday). But it’s probably not fair to lump Tatis in with the Padres’ slumping superstars anymore. He’s hitting (even if he’s not homering).
“We like where Tatis is at right now,” Stammen said. “He’s trending in the right direction. Let’s keep him going.”
Giolito still searching
Lucas Giolito needed 85 pitches to complete four innings, and he walked five Reds hitters. He was not crisp by any means. But Giolito managed to limit the damage to only two runs, and he exited after four innings with the game tied at two.
He wasn’t satisfied with that.
“It’s not good,” Giolito said. “I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight, knowing how bad I’m kind of cooking our bullpen. I’ve always prided myself on the ability to compete and go deep into games, but the lack of strike-throwing is making that impossible right now. I’ve just got to keep working.”
This was Giolito’s fifth start of the season. He has a 4.35 ERA and a FIP more than two runs higher -- indicating he’s probably been a bit lucky. Then again, Giolito has gotten big outs when he’s needed them, and he did so again on Tuesday.
The veteran right-hander isn’t missing many bats, and he’s not blowing his low-90s fastball past many hitters. (Though he’s getting plenty of weak contact with his offspeed pitches.) Giolito will need to be much sharper if he’s going to settle into the Padres’ rotation long-term, with a handful of injured starters on their way back.
“It’s got to be better,” Giolito said. “Got to be able to limit damage, eliminate the free passes and work deeper into these games.”