BALTIMORE -- In the end, it wasn’t a franchise-record-setting road trip for the Padres.

Only a wildly successful one.

San Diego dropped Sunday’s series finale in Baltimore, 8-6, ending the trip without the exclamation point that would’ve carried it into franchise-record territory. It had been 34 years since the Padres won at least eight games on a road trip, and they’d never recorded a winning percentage of at least .889 on a trip that lasted at least nine games.

Alas, they’ll settle for 7-2 -- and a brief reminder that, while the current roster is thriving, question marks still abound on the pitching staff. That’s true even after San Diego landed righty reliever Jason Adam in a four-player deal with the Rays earlier in the day.

“Amazing [road trip],” said first baseman Luis Arraez, who had two hits in Sunday’s finale. “We won the series. We played good baseball. We need to take the off-day tomorrow and then keep playing hard.”

No matter the ending, the Padres can’t consider the trip anything but a success. They won series against the two best teams in the American League -- in Baltimore this weekend and in Cleveland last weekend. In between, they swept the Nationals, capping that series with Dylan Cease’s no-hitter.

When the road trip began, the Padres sat a game above .500 with question marks about their status as contenders in a jumbled National League. That playoff picture remains jumbled. But the Padres are clear contenders -- and buyers ahead of Tuesday’s 3 p.m. PT Trade Deadline.

Speaking after the Adam trade became official, general manager A.J. Preller said it was always his intention to buy at the Deadline. (Though, surely, a seven-game winning streak didn’t hurt.)

“We’re pretty measured in how we go about it,” Preller said. “I think we felt like going into this trip we had a team that was going to be competitive and could play into October. … To see it play out against some good teams on this road trip, that’s always a good thing.

“But in terms of how it affected our Deadline? It wasn’t like over the last few days we decided, ‘Let’s be a little more aggressive,’ or anything like that. We went into this feeling like we had a really good team and wanted to add to the bullpen, for sure.”

They might still add to that bullpen, beyond Adam. They might also look to add a starter to a somewhat uncertain rotation. On that front, Randy Vásquez, who had been mostly sharp lately, allowed six runs over two-plus innings on Sunday.

But even that was tempered by some encouraging rotation news: Joe Musgrove will pitch two innings against Mariners prospects at the team’s spring complex in Arizona on Tuesday. He’s eyeing a mid-August return from right-elbow inflammation. Regarding a potential return for Yu Darvish this season, Preller said, “We haven’t closed the door on anything.” (Darvish was placed on the restricted list earlier this month.)

So… the Padres have question marks in the middle innings and at the back of the rotation. In the grand scheme, those aren’t grave concerns.

“I love this club,” said manager Mike Shildt. “I’ve always been grounded in the club that I’ve had. … Obviously A.J. asks me about what our team needs are and what we’re looking like. We have a good relationship and communication. I’ll share my thoughts. But ultimately I trust and allow him to do his job.”

Even in defeat, Shildt said Sunday’s game offered further evidence for his belief in his team. After trailing by six runs early, the Padres mounted a serious comeback attempt.

“I just love this club’s hunger, regardless of circumstance,” Shildt said. “Could easily -- last day of a 10-day trip that was very fruitful -- say, ‘We got ours, we’re good. Down 6-0, let’s just go through the motions.’ This group has none of that.”

Xander Bogaerts’ two-run homer in the sixth -- his first since returning from the injured list -- cut the deficit to one. After Baltimore tacked on in the eighth, the Padres brought the winning run to the plate in the ninth before Jake Cronenworth’s game-ending groundout.

“We’re always in it -- I think that’s the main sign for me,” Bogaerts said. “That’s the character of really good teams. … We were one pull-side double from Cronenworth from tying the game. 6-0 against these guys, in their place -- that’s a really good ballclub. But we always are in it.”