The Padres closed their three-game series against the Washington Nationals with an 8-3 loss at Petco Park Sunday.
Down just 3-1 in the seventh, the Friars watched reliever Tim Hill become his own worst enemy, with two throwing errors and a hit batsman, on his way to giving up five runs.
Fans had little to cheer about after that, but Ha-Seong Kim hit a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh and the Padres added another run in the ninth thanks to a Juan Soto single to drive in Brandon Dixon.
After opening the series with a 13-3 laugher, they also fell Saturday 2-0. Their inability to string together good at-bats continue to disturb manager Bob Melvin.
“At times we’ve done it, more than often, we have not,” he said. “And it’s been runners in scoring position that’s been our biggest problem. But there’s not going to be a give up here. We’re going to continue to fight as hard as we can and know that with the talent that we have, that we have the ability to win a lot of games.”
Meanwhile, no Padres made it to the next phase of All-Star Game voting, which begins at noon Monday. It ends Thursday, hours before the starters will be revealed on ESPN at 4 p.m. PST. The game takes place July 11 in Seattle.
The Padres now leave for a six-game road trip, heading to Pittsburgh, then Cincinnati. One team, the Pirates are fresh off a 10-game losing streak, but the first-place Reds are a different story. Their 12-game winning streak ended Saturday.
After an off day, the team will send Yu Darvish to the mound Tuesday, followed by Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove.
