Padres Drop Rubber Game Of Mets Series, 3-2, As Their Offensive Futility Continues

The San Diego Padres continued their late-spring swoon by droppingthe rubber game of their three-game set against the New York Mets, 7-3, as they fell to third place in the NL West and lost their 12th game out of the last 14. 

This game followed what’s become a familiar Padres formula as they got behind, didn’t hit, then mounted a mini-comeback that fell short because the early hole was too deep. 

The Mets started the scoring with single runs in the first and second innings. The first scored on a Juan Soto groundout, the second on a solo home run by Marcus Semien, who’s starting to heat up at the plate. 

New York added two more runs in the fifth on a Jared Young single and a sacrifice by A.J. Ewing that turned into a double play, scoring Bo Bichette. 

The Padres fought back briefly on a two run homer by Freddy Fermin to make it 4-2, but the Mets raised the Pads that homer and added another one as MJ Melendez and Carson Benge both hit solo shots. 

The pitching performances were provided by opener Huascar Brazoban and bulk reliever Sean Manaea, with Manaea giving up two runs on four hits in four innings of work. San Deigo starter Randy Vasquez took the loss as he didn’t fare well in this one, giving up four runs in four innings, with Yuki Matsui surrendering two more on the Mets homers in the sixth. 

The rest of the story from the San Diego side was about the Padrees not hitting. Manny Machado remains mired in his dreadful slump, and the first five hitters in the Padres lineup went a collective 3-for-19. 

The Padres did add a token run in the ninth on an RBI double by Fermin, but San Diego scored just seven runs in the entire series, so they were probably lucky to come away with a single win. 

San Diego is just three games over .500, and their problems can be summed up in a single statement: If they don’t hit, they won’t win. They’re now 8-1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, and it’s going to take a hot streak plus some consistent winning to get back in the NL West. 

The hard-hitting Cincinnati Reds come to town tomorrow night, so the Padres need to find something to unlock their bats in a hurry. They’ll send Walker Buehler to the mound against Andrew Abbott as they try to get back on track.