The San Diego Padres once again lose another series. A team with a lot of expectations is now (19-19) as the middle of May starts to kick in.

After winning Game 1 of the series and having a chance to gain ground on the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Friars lose the following two games of the series as the offense and bullpen went through struggles.

Yu Darvish got the nod for Game 3. It was an early start, and he pitched very well, striking out seven hitters in 6.0 innings. Manager Bob Melvin pulled Darvish from the game as it appeared he had injured something during his outing, according to A.J. Cassavell.

That ended up being the turning point of the game. The Padres had a 3-2 lead as Brent Honeywell entered the game in the 7th. He allowed the tying run, and then Steven Wilson allowed the go-ahead runs after replacing Honeywell in the same inning. The bullpen really struggled during today and yesterday’s games.

The Padres offense couldn’t get over the hump either, finishing with just six hits in the loss. Fernando Tatis Jr. led off the game with a line-drive homer on the first pitch. Rougned Odor also smashed his first home run in a Padres uniform which gave the Padres the lead in the 5th inning.

Odor sent that outta here ? #BringTheGold pic.twitter.com/SWx7sLYXmX

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 11, 2023

That smash by Odor was nice to see, as it’s unclear how long he will stay on the active roster. If the Padres plan to keep him for a while, then seeing him rack up some hits could seriously benefit this lineup.

Now, for those who didn’t watch, only see descriptions of what happen during the game. It shows an ‘out’ in-the-box score, but the Twins’ defense robbed the Padres of multiple hits in this game. Manny Machado was robbed of an extra-base hit as Nick Gordon made a diving catch to save a run.

OMGordon! ? pic.twitter.com/t27u5nvyP8

— MLB (@MLB) May 11, 2023

A few innings later, Michael Taylor replaced Max Kepler and moved to center. The speedster stole two hits from Jake Cronenworth and Machado again. Taylor dove to catch Machado’s liner, and the Padres’ star was had two hits taken away from him today on diving catches.

Juan Soto finished with another multi-hit performance but was removed from the game as Adam Engel pinch-ran for him. Soto lined a ball off of his foot in the 4th inning but stayed in the game until the 8th.

Twins closer Jorge Lopez shut the door in the 9th, and the Padres have lost their second consecutive series after winning the first game.

The frustration seems to have reached a boiling point for skipper Bob Melvin. After the game, he was as visibly irked as we have seen him all year. “We have guys that can perform better, ” Melvin said. “We’re going to, but it’s time to quit just talking about it. It’s time to go out there and do it. Another frustrating game for us. Underperforming.”

The Padres now rank dead last in batting average with runners in scoring position.

Next is a battle with the Dodgers in L.A., starting tomorrow night. Blake Snell will be on the mound.

Chris Spiering

Chris is a graduate of the University of San Diego. He is the former Sports Editor for the USDVista newspaper. Chris is also an athlete and is huge fan of San Diego sports. Chris has covered the San Diego Loyal, and contributes regularly about the Padres.