San Diego Padres morning after: Shaking off a loss that shouldn't have happened

DENVER — After gaining plenty of momentum through the first two games of the series against the Colorado Rockies, the San Diego Padres left Denver wet and frustrated on Sunday.

The ending to Colorado's 5-4 win over San Diego should never have happened the way it did. Call it bad luck or the baseball gods getting angry again or whatever you will, but a comebacker and a downpour spelled the end for San Diego's modest three-game winning streak.

San Diego Padres: When it rained, it poured in loss to Colorado Rockies

Let's go back to when it was actually dry in Denver on Sunday and Blake Snell was cruising on the mound. With the Padres holding a 3-1 lead and Snell doing things rarely seen at Coors Field (becoming the seventh pitcher ever to allow no more than one run while fanning at least 12 in a start at Coors Field, and the first since 2018), a comebacker in the bottom of the seventh off the bat of Randal Grichuk (traveling at 107.9 mph) that hit Snell in the ankle would eventually force him from the game.

It was an omen of things to come.

With Snell out, Padres manager Bob Melvin was forced to go to a bullpen without key pieces such as Josh Hader and Nick Martinez, the three options used by San Diego (Luis Garcia, Tom Cosgrove and Brent Honeywell) each surrendered at least one run as the Rockies used the long ball to win the game.

A two-run home run by a player making his MLB debut. A solo shot in a driving rainstorm just before the tarp was put on the field. A game-winning blast when the Rockies were all swinging for the fences. This is how San Diego's winning streak ended.

The blame isn't on Melvin for playing with a shortened deck in the bullpen. Comebacks happen at Coors Field (Padres fans know that all too well) and winning a series is still a step in the right direction. Having to put Garcia (just off the injured list) in in that situation was suboptimal at best for the Padres and the price was paid.

However, the game should've never gone to the top of the ninth with the weather deteriorating so quickly in Denver. Water was forming on the infield when Cosgrove was pitching to McMahon, who hit the game-tying homer. The Padres took advantage of the wet conditions in the top of the ninth with a water-soaked wild pitch that scored Ha-Seong Kim, who advanced to third after a ball splashed under Grichuk's glove. Juan Soto's final at-bat of the inning was a deep fly to left that Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones admitted he couldn't see after the game.

The ninth inning should've never been played in Denver with the rain coming down. If the game was going to be delayed, it should have been delayed heading into the ninth when fans were told to leave the far bleachers because of weather concerns.

I understand wanting to move the game along and get the Rockies to Boston and the Padres back home, but pushing that game through did no one any favors. Had the game been stopped heading into the eighth, it's possible Martinez might have been available for the Padres since he was warming in the downpour to face Grichuk when McMahon launched his shot.

Plenty of Padres fans are upset about how the game ended because of the bullpen. There should, however, be plenty of questions directed at MLB and the umpiring crew that let the game keep going on Sunday. Using common sense just might have helped the Padres actually capture the sweep instead of shaking their heads as they headed home.