SAN DIEGO -- The Padres' first half ended in disappointment, consecutive losses at the hands of the Rockies, including a 3-1 defeat Sunday afternoon.

• Box score

"We're pretty realistic," Padres general manager A.J. Preller said on Saturday. "We've had some really good moments at times -- winning streaks and some good comebacks and some really good baseball we've played here. ... But that consistency, we've been searching for all year."

Now, the Padres get to take a deep breath for a few days before they return to action on Friday night in Washington.

Here are four key second-half questions that need to be answered.

1. Where do they get the innings?
This was perhaps the most important second-half question for the Padres before Ryan Weathers went down with a right leg injury on Sunday -- and before Yu Darvish and Blake Snell landed on the IL earlier this week.

The Padres’ pitching staff has been excellent this season, and their bullpen somehow managed to withstand the sport’s heaviest first-half workload. San Diego’s 3.41 team ERA ranks third in the Majors.

Now, there’s another half of baseball to navigate -- and question marks surrounding the rotation. Darvish (left hip and back tightness) and Snell (illness) are both expected to return after the break for their next turn through the rotation. Dinelson Lamet (right-forearm inflammation) is progressing toward facing live hitters, as well. Weathers’ status, right now, is uncertain.

“We’ve got to get healthy there, and we’ve got to get more depth,” said Padres manager Jayce Tingler.

More depth? Hmmm. Sure, that depth is partly contingent on health. But even if they have their full contingent of starters, the Padres would greatly benefit from adding an innings-eater to ease the workload down the stretch. If it wasn’t already, that should be Preller’s top priority ahead of the July 30 Trade Deadline.

2. What heights can Tatis reach?
Take a moment, and soak in these first-half numbers:

Fernando Tatis Jr. posted a slash line of .286/.364/.656. He leads the National League with 28 homers and 20 steals. At 22 years old, he is the youngest player in MLB history to post a 20/20 season before the All-Star break. Tatis entered play Sunday leading the Major Leagues with 4.6 wins above replacement, according to baseball-reference -- and he spent two separate stints on the injured list, spanning 17 games.

It has been a downright remarkable first half for Tatis, who could be on his way to posting the best season in Padres history.

So what else is in Tatis’ sights during the second half? Well, Greg Vaughn’s franchise record of 50 home runs is within reach. If Tatis were to finish the season leading his league in both homers and steals, he’d be the first player to do so since Philadelphia’s Chuck Klein in 1932. There’s an outside chance Tatis makes a push for a 40/40 season, as well.

Only 13 1/2 years left on that record-setting contract extension. So far, Tatis has been worth every penny.

3. Will this Padres offense click?
Tatis has been undeniably excellent. Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado are All-Stars. Tommy Pham has sewn himself into the lineup’s leadoff spot. Yet the Padres offense hasn’t reached the heights of 2020.

“We’ve got some individuals that are having some real good performances, but we haven’t quite had the group click quite as consistently, top to bottom, as it did last year,” Preller said. “Those will be the things we’ll be talking about over the next couple weeks.”

The first-half numbers from Wil Myers, Eric Hosmer and Jurickson Profar are notably down from where they were last season, but all three began to pick it up toward the end of the second half. Really, the entire Padres offense did.

But their two games against the Rockies this weekend (one run total) should offer a stark reminder that there’s work to be done -- and maybe an acquisition or two to be made ahead of the Trade Deadline.

“It’s unacceptable,” Tingler said of his team’s first-half finish. “We’ve got to find a way to be better. Four days off is going to be good, but we’ve got to be ready to go … coming out of that break.”

4. What does Preller have up his sleeve?
Tingler called the second-half “a 69-game sprint,” and if the Padres have designs on making a push for the NL West crown, they need to open the second half strong.

They also might need reinforcements. A year ago, the Padres sat in a similar position at the Deadline -- playing solid baseball on the whole but trailing in the NL West race. Preller made a flurry of deals to reinforce that roster, six trades in a frenzied 48-hour span.

The Padres have dealt an awful lot of their farm depth over the past year, so they might have to pick and choose at this year’s Deadline. But there are obvious holes to fill. They could use a starting pitcher. They could use a lefty in the bullpen. They could use a bat.

Still, no matter how the first half ended, they’ll enter the second with the very same World Series aspirations.

"We're in position," Preller said. "Going into the year, obviously, the goal is to play into the playoffs and advance and win a World Series. First thing you have to do is get in.”

The “69-game sprint” to get in begins Friday.