SAN FRANCISCO -- What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? One potential outcome of the classic paradox unfolded as the Padres thumped the Giants, 10-0, to salvage the series finale at Oracle Park.

San Francisco's offense had been relentless during the team's 10-game winning streak that came to a halt Thursday, averaging eight runs per game in that span and refusing to go away in the late innings.

Enter Blake Snell as the stopper. The left-hander kept his tear on the mound going by dousing the red-hot Giants with ice water, dazzling with six shutout frames.

"They're a big league team, so I look at them in that sense," Snell said. "I keep 'em right there. I don't make them better than they are, worse than they are. They're just a really good hitting team, and if I execute, I believe I can beat a really good team.

"When you start to make them arrive -- and I know their guys are really swinging it -- you tend to be more careful, and you don't attack the way that you should. And that's what makes them so dangerous."

Snell did not allow a walk and scattered three hits, punching out 11 batters to join Jake Peavy (2007) as the only pitchers in franchise history to strike out 11 or more batters in three straight games.

Over his past six starts, Snell has allowed just two runs across 36 innings. He has an eye-popping 56 strikeouts against 13 walks in that span.

"I wouldn't say it's a surprise, being able to go on a run that he has here recently," manager Bob Melvin said. "Punctuating with a game like today after three tough games just means that he's on a roll. … Today was pretty special, with all four pitches working."

The four-game set in San Francisco represented a valuable opportunity for the Padres to gain some ground in a National League West that has proved fiercely competitive in the early going. Needless to say, the series did not turn out as they would have liked.

San Diego's struggles with situational hitting were particularly glaring early in the series. Entering Thursday, the team was hitting .195/.289/.330 (.618 OPS) with runners in scoring position -- the worst slash line in such situations in the Majors.

The Padres hit just 4-for-29 with runners in scoring position over the first three games of the series, but they were able to flip the switch Thursday, going 5-for-10. The biggest hits came from some of their biggest bats: Gary Sánchez and Manny Machado launched three-run shots in the first and third innings, while Nelson Cruz added on with a two-run double in the fifth.

"I always try to have short memories," Cruz said before the finale. "No matter what happened yesterday, today's a new game. We have to take different approaches every single day. … People from outside, they have high expectations of us, and we also believe in those. We just have to go out there and perform, and do our job."

It goes without saying, but teams with aspirations of making a deep playoff run need to be adept at situational hitting. That takes on an added weight during the postseason, but it's also what gets teams there in the first place.

In the 2022 regular season, 11 of the 12 playoff teams ranked in the top half of the league in OPS with runners in scoring position. Statistics are volatile, and there are 87 games left in the regular season -- more than enough time for the Padres to reverse their narrative.

Take the Giants -- their winning streak vaulted them from solidly in third place to second in the NL West standings, just 3 1/2 games back of the division-leading D-backs. With more than half of the season yet to be played, it would be surprising if there wasn't movement in the standings by the time Game 162 rolls around.

That's the perspective that Major Leaguers carry into every season. And that's the approach the Padres will take in the coming months.

"These games do matter," closer Josh Hader said Tuesday. "But once you get closer toward the end, like August, September, that's when the games really, really matter. That's when you've got to put the dog in you and be there 100 percent to get those wins. … We still have a lot of games left that we've got to play. We're going to keep fighting to put ourselves in the best position to win."