The Padres offense went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position in a 3-2 walkoff loss to the Reds in Cincinnati.
It's a great number for hockey goalies allowing goals against penalty shots. It's not a great number for a Major League Baseball team hitting with runners in scoring position.The two things that have plagued the Padres more than anything else this season were on full display in a 3-2 loss to the Reds on Sunday afternoon: the lack of taking advantage of run-scoring opportunities and an overworked bullpen walking a constant close-game tightrope.
San Diego loaded the bases in two different innings and scored one total run, on an RBI groundout by Jose Iglesias. Their only other run came on a solo homer from Xander Bogaerts. It's hard to say any one guy is to blame for the problem but on Sunday literally everybody in the Padres starting lineup had at least one at-bat with a runner in scoring position and not a single one of them got a hit.Yet they still had a 2-1 lead in the 9th inning because Stephen Kolek gave them a great start, allowing one run in 5.2 innings with five strikeouts. Adrian Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada, and Jason Adam got the ball to Robert Suarez in the 9th inning. The All-Star closer is on a pace to appear in more than 70 games this season. For a bit of context, Trevor Hoffman never pitched more than 70 games in any season of his career. Suarez just looks tired. He walked Gavin Lux on four pitches and left his usually lethal fastball in the middle of the strike zone to multiple hitters. The end result is Cincinnati scoring twice in the 9th, the last one coming on a walkoff single by Will Benson to give the Reds the game and, more importantly, the series win. Suarez's ERA through his first 18 outings was 0.51. His ERA over his last 19 appearances is 7.41. Here's where complimentary baseball would be really nice. If the Padres bats could take advantage of their chances to score runs they wouldn't play as many close games and the back end of the bullpen would be in much better shape.The Padres open a three-game series in Philadelphia on Monday with Matt Waldron, who will be making his season debut, on the mound against Cy Young contender Zack Wheeler.
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