Padres Series Recap vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

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Aug 21, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Tyson Ross (38) reacts during the sixth inning of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

For the 5th time this season, the Padres (68-80) dropped a series to the Diamondbacks (61-88). The Padres have had trouble all year with the Diamondbacks, dropping to 7-12 on the 2014 season against Arizona. Offense was not the problem this time. It was the pitching. A few uncharacteristic outings from pitchers doomed San Diego in the desert.

The Padres hit .290 in the series and racked up 31 hits, 8 of them extra base hits. The offensive player of the series is Yangervis Solarte. He had 2 hits in each of the three games including a home run and 4 runs scored. Rene Rivera also had a strong case, also hitting in each game of the series and hitting a home run and also with 4 runs scored. As it is plain to see, the offense was not the problem in this series. The starting pitchers combined for 9 earned runs and the bullpen allowed 6 runs.

Sep 8, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Rene Rivera hits a RBI single against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 4th inning during the game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

The Friars notched their only win of the series on Friday, winning 6-5. The Diamondbacks struck first to make it 1-0 before the Padres broke it open. Rymer Liriano tied the game in the 2nd with a ground out that scored Rivera. Then Cameron Maybin sent a triple into right, which gave the Padres a 2-1 lead. Jedd Gyorko then doubled in the 3rd to make it 3-1 and immediately following that, Yasmani Grandal drove in Gyorko to extend the lead to 4-1. Solarte singled a run in and then Rivera hit his 10th home run to make it 6-1 after 5 innings. The Diamondbacks made it interesting in the bottom of the 5th, scoring 4 runs, 3 of them on A.J. Pollock’s home run.

Eric Stults wasn’t at his sharpest but he got the job done. Only 2 runs were earned and he pitched 6 innings. The bullpen pitched 3 scoreless innings behind him, allowing 3 hits. The Padres won because they were 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position, scoring just enough to win.

Aug 30, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Yangervis Solarte (27) follows through during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday’s game was doomed from the beginning. It was 6-0 Diamondbacks before the 3rd inning. Tyson Ross was not himself. He allowed 6 runs, 4 of them earned, in 3 innings. Mark Trumbo did a lot of the damage for Arizona, collecting 3 hits, including a double and 3 RBI. Ender Inciarte set up 2 runs by stealing 2 bases as well.

Grandal hit his team-leading 13th home run to get the Padres on the board but it barely dented the Arizona lead. Jordan Pacheco’s at-bat in the 7th is what put the game away for the D-backs. Trumbo first scored on a wild pitch by Leonel Campos, setting up runners at 2nd and 3rd for Pacheco who then lined a ball to center to score the remaining baserunners, making it 10-4.

Aug 23, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Didi Gregorius (1) hits a three run home run during the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The finale on Sunday was not much better for the Friars as they saw a 2-0 lead quickly disappear in the 3rd. The Diamondbacks got 5 hits with runners in scoring position that allowed them to score 8 runs total. Didi Gregorius scored 2 of the runs on 2 hits and also had an RBI.

Odrisamer Despaigne did not have his worst outing of the season but it was not near his best either. He allowed 3 runs in less than 6 innings and walked 3. Five runs scored with him on the hill, but only 3 were earned. Nick Vincent had a rough outing, also allowing 3 runs. He only retired one batter on 16 pitches. Gregorius and Pacheco sealed the deal with RBI singles in the 8th.

Aug 30, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Rymer Liriano (7) reacts after striking out during the tenth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The Padres have an uphill battle if they want to achieve the goal of finishing with a better record than last year. They have reached the 80-loss plateau. They will more than likely finish 3rd in the division but that speaks more to the top-heaviness of the National League West instead of the quality season the Padres had. They have 14 games remaining and all but 4 of them are against NL West opponents. They have an opportunity to play spoiler to the Giants as they face off with San Francisco 7 times this month.