It might feel like weeks ago, but in real time, the Rangers were on a nice run before they ran into the Padres this week.

Texas had won seven of nine and had mostly neutralized what had been a slow start to the season. That’s probably what the Ranges' focus should be as they open a new series in Seattle this weekend, rather than harp on a four-game home-and-home sweep by the Padres that ended Thursday with an 8-7 loss in 10 innings.

• Box score

“They’re pretty upset in there,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said, "because they felt like they fought hard enough to win a game tonight, and we didn't do it. We’ve got to come back tomorrow and put the same effort out.”

With the score knotted at 7-7, and automatic runner Wil Myers on second in the 10th, Jake Cronenworth singled to center, sharply enough to make Myers initially hold up at third. But the ball skidded by center fielder Scott Heineman, allowing Myers to jog home without a play.

The ending capped a game that saw five lead changes, five home runs between the two teams and the Padres cementing history at the expense of Rangers pitching.

“It’s probably the toughest loss I've been around, especially just how hard we fought,” Woodward said. For our ballclub to fight the way it did, especially a few times tonight to get back into it and tie it up ... it’s tough.”

Here are three takeaways from the Rangers' rough night in San Diego:

Gibson and the long ball

Part of the Rangers’ long-term view last offseason was to add stability to a rotation that needed some weight in the middle to complement Mike Minor and Lance Lynn. They signed Kyle Gibson to a three-year deal, and while he’s been valuable in his role, he’s also been prone to the long ball. He’s allowed four homers so far this season, including Eric Hosmer’s fifth-inning grand slam that put the Padres ahead, 5-2.

Gibson, noting his familiarity with Hosmer dating back to their many American League Central meetings while with the Twins and Royals, respectively, said he was comfortable with the middle-in fastball he threw to the Padres slugger.

“Both times tonight, he hit pitches that were in, off the plate, pretty hard,” Gibson said. “What I take away from that is just the wrong pitch at the wrong time, and I need to do a better job of recognizing when a guy's looking [for a pitch] in, and maybe when he's not.”

Opponents have been active against Gibson this year. He’s allowed 31 hits this and issued 10 walks in 26 2/3 innings, with a 1.54 WHIP.

Slam Diego

Hosmer’s homer off Gibson led to the Rangers being on the wrong end of history. That grand slam was the Padres' fourth in four straight games -- an MLB record.

“I honestly didn't realize they had even hit three straight,” Gibson said. “That’s obviously not a thought in my mind, and then you hear after the game that’s four straight and a Major League record. Those big swings kind of do you in in those big innings. That’s obviously not the way you want to give up a big inning.”

Offense surges, but it’s not enough

Had the Rangers been able to squeak out a win, the story of the night would have been the valiant effort from a lineup that scored five runs in the final four innings. Nick Solak's game-tying solo homer off Emilio Pagán in the ninth would have been a highlight.

Another would have been the two-run homer and RBI single by catcher Jose Trevino, who is in the midst of an audition for more playing time while Robinson Chirinos is sidelined with an injury.

Trevino talked before the game about studying advanced metrics in an effort to increase his launch angle. Though it’s still very early and he hasn’t had very many at-bats, Statcast shows his exit velocity on fly balls and line drives has increased, and he’s cut his strikeout rate in half. 

But most of his success, so far, has been only on fastballs, including his home run off Dinelson Lamet on Thursday. Trevino entered Thursday hitting .357 against fastballs and .000 against secondary pitches, albeit within a small sample size of just 17 at-bats.

“One thing he's got is a ton of grit when he's in the batter's box,” Woodward said, "and now he's added a lot more power than I think people probably know about. He’s going to hit at this level.”

Woodward has noticed better approaches from hitters throughout the lineup than he was seeing earlier in the season, when he sensed some anxiousness from the hitters to get off to a good start in such a short season.

“Offensively, we haven't been that consistent,” Woodward said. “Tonight was probably one of our biggest outputs, and we need to have that consistency every night to just constantly pressure on the offensive side in order to have a chance, because we just haven't been doing that consistently.”