Padres’ nightmare Rays series somehow gets worse after Fernando Tatis Jr.’s ejection

The Padres had a win in their glove Sunday and still left St. Petersburg empty-handed. They lost 5-4 in 11 innings to the Rays, even after multiple chances to salvage the series and escape with a win. The Rays kept taking advantage of the openings the Padres left available and finished a three-game sweep.

By the end, getting out of Tropicana Field felt like the only thing San Diego could accomplish.

Friday’s 9-4 loss was ugly enough. Saturday brought a blown three-run lead and a 7-6 defeat, with the greater concern being Luis Rengifo’s knee injury. And Sunday offered a chance, but it turned into a disaster.

Robbie Ray certainly did his job. He allowed one run on three hits over six innings. That should have made for a much quieter afternoon. Instead, frustration spilled over. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Craig Stammen were ejected in the seventh after umpires called Tatis out for running inside the first-base line. That left the Padres trying to finish the game without its right fielder and manager. 

In the ninth, Jonny DeLuca sent a ball toward the left-field wall. With two outs and San Diego leading 3-1, Samad Taylor reached the drive and appeared to have the game-ending catch. The ball came loose from his glove and fell over the fence for a two-run homer off Mason Miller. Suddenly, it was 3-3.

Samad Taylor’s missed home run robbery erases Padres’ ninth-inning lead

There is something particularly cruel about having to watch a potential final out become a home run. We had barely started exhaling before there was a replay to study and extra baseball to endure. Taylor’s near-catch will follow this loss everywhere. The Padres came close enough to completing it that watching it again offers no comfort.

There was still another opportunity to recover. Ty France’s sacrifice fly put San Diego ahead 4-3 in the 11th. After the ejections and the ninth-inning nightmare, the Padres had worked their way back into position to win. Tampa Bay answered with two runs, finishing the afternoon on Jorge Mateo’s walk-off single.

That second lost lead makes it harder to file Sunday away as one bizarre play at the wall. San Diego had already absorbed the worst moment of the game and produced the run it needed. But they still couldn’t protect the advantage.

We should expect the Padres to finish a game like this, especially if they want to be considered a contender this season. They had a strong start, a two-run cushion with one out remaining, and eventually another lead in extras. Leaving town with nothing after all that is a bummer.

The Padres gave themselves two chances to soften the landing Sunday. They somehow made the sweep sting more.

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