Padres facing tough litmus test vs. opportunistic Tampa Bay

SAN DIEGO -- The Padres entered their three-game weekend series against Tampa Bay viewing it as something of a litmus test. They’d started the season slowly. Too slowly for a roster with this level of talent.

But over the past few weeks, that talent had begun to break through. The biggest bats were heating up. The pitching staff was excellent. Despite a few close losses, the Padres were playing some of their best baseball of the season in June.

And so they rolled into this weekend eager to see how they’d stack up against baseball’s best.

On Friday night, at least, the gulf was apparent enough.

The Rays took the opener at Petco Park, 6-2, with lefty ace Shane McClanahan limiting the Padres to just three hits across 6 2/3 innings. Meanwhile, Yu Darvish was tagged for six runs across five innings.

“It was a couple big swings, really,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “[Darvish] made some really good pitches today. That’s what they do. You make a bad pitch, and typically they capitalize on it. They hit a lot of home runs; that’s kind of their calling card.”

The Rays got on the board in the second when Isaac Paredes hit a laser of a solo homer on a Darvish fastball that caught too much plate. They doubled their lead in the fourth on Randy Arozarena’s RBI single.

In the fifth inning, things unraveled. Padres center fielder Trent Grisham got an excellent jump on a liner by Taylor Walls, who was leading off the inning. But once Grisham had gotten to his spot, the ball popped out of his glove, and Walls scampered to second for a double.

That was just the break the Rays needed. Walls scored on Jose Siri’s ensuing RBI single. Four batters later, Arozarena broke the game open. He turned on Darvish’s inside fastball, which was several inches off the plate, and sent it into the left-field seats, giving Tampa Bay a 6-0 lead.

“That was the plan,” Darvish said. “I was going to go in on that two-seamer, and that’s exactly what I did. He just got to that ball real well. You only have to tip your cap to him.”

Depending on your perspective, those four runs could’ve been earned or unearned. Walls’ liner could’ve been a hit, could’ve been an error. There aren’t many center fielders with enough range to catch that ball. But once in position, even the shakiest of outfielders would be expected to make that play.

Interesting debate -- but also beside the point. Earned or unearned, the Rays were handed an opening, and they seized it. Presented an inch, they took a mile.

Therein lies perhaps the biggest difference between these two teams right now. The Padres’ struggles with men in scoring position have persisted. Their inability to capitalize on those situations, particularly with two outs and men on base, has been baffling. It’s been somewhat better of late. But better than what? Better than historically bad? That doesn’t count for much.

The Padres, of course, have a handful of players who once played for the Rays and have a unique perspective on how an organization with a fraction of the San Diego payroll can so consistently field such a competitive team.

“They do all the little things right, and they have guys that love each other and pull the same way together,” said Blake Snell, who will face his former team for the first time on Saturday night. “It’s usually why they’re so good.”

Added Nelson Cruz: “They play the little things when they have to. They can run the bases, steal bases, they give good at-bats. And they can hit homers, obviously.”

Cruz went on to note that the Padres have done those little things much better lately. And he’s not wrong. In each of the past two games, they’ve found themselves down big early. Both times, they made the type of late push that runs in stark contrast to some of their early-season doldrums.

Cruz homered in the seventh. The Padres had multiple baserunners in the eighth and ninth. They forced Rays closer Pete Fairbanks into the game with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Juan Soto due up with one out and the bases loaded. But Tatis promptly bounced into a double play, ending the threat.

“Got their closer in the game and had a chance there,” Melvin said. “But we came up short. At the end of the day, it’s about the result.”