Padres Shift Into Damage Control Mode After Disastrous Loss To Cubs At Wrigley

The are bad games, and there are games that go way beyond bad. The San Diego Padres submitted the latter at Wrigley Field yesterday against the Chicago Cubs, and the 23-3 pounding they took had Padres manager Craig Stammen shifting into damage control mode as he pulled out all the hoary cliches that automatically pop up when games like this happen. 

"It only counts as one [loss]," manager Craig Stammen said in a piece written by Zach Sweet of MLB.com. "We've got to remember that. ... [Things are] going as poorly as they can right now, and we've got to find a way to dig deep, dig our way out of that hole. I think there's some grit on this team, and we've got to dig deep for that.

"Still believe in ourselves, stay positive enough that we will get out of it. If we get negative, we turn on each other, we start pointing fingers -- that's when it'll turn into disaster. And I'm not going to be doing that."

Stammen’s reation was appropriate, but what was painful about yesterday’s loss and the two that preceded it is that each one exposed a different weakness on a team that’s starting to fulfill preseason predictions that they’d be a .500 club. 

The first two losses featured the Padres’ inability to hit for power and produce up and down the lineup, while the last two exposed the lack of quality starters in a patchwork rotation that’s been punching above its weight for almost three months now. 

But weaknesses inevitably get exposed over the course of 162 games, and that’s what’s happening now. The lone bright spot yesterday was infielder Sung-Mun Song, who got his first home run that was a Wrigley special with the wind blowing out. 

"I’ve had limited opportunities playing," Song said via interpreter Jun-seo Yi. "Today was Manny's off-day, so I got to play third base, which is my original position. It felt really good. Besides the game result, I had great at-bats.

"I didn't know at first because it was a line drive. I thought it bounced off the wall. Then I saw the umpire call it a home run."

Stammen probably won’t appreciate the cheap shot contained in that positional reference, but he still supported his player. 

"He's been trending in the right direction as he's gotten a little bit more playing time," Stammen said. "He made a lot of great swings today. We know how great he is on defense. He'll always remember his first home run, and it was in Wrigley Field."

Padres fans will remember this game for a very different reason. It dropped San Diego to just a game over .500 going into their pivotal series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and this isn’t a series that will matter at the top of the NL West standings. 

"Today's a game that got out of hand," Stammen said as he showcased his hidden gift for understatement. "When the wind blows out here, these games can get a little out of hand."