SAN DIEGO, CA - JULY 2: Matt Strahm #55 of the San Diego Padres pitches during the second inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park July 2, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)

The San Diego Padres fell to the San Francisco Giants in a second straight blowout game for another series loss against the National League West rival.

The San Diego Padres have now lost four straight games to the San Francisco Giants, dropping their record against the Giants to 5-6 on the year.

There’s just something about them that the Padres can’t seem to overcome.

To be fair, the Friars haven’t fared well against the National League West in general. They’re 16-19 in the division and only have a winning record against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

For some reason, however, it feels like the games against San Francisco tend to spiral out of control.

Maybe it’s because this is the second straight series loss at the hands of those in the NL West basement. Or maybe it’s because the Padres are on the verge of the second straight series sweep by the Giants this year. Or perhaps it’s because the Friars haven’t lost a divisional game by such a large margin since the 2-10 loss against the Colorado Rockies, back on May 10.

Or maybe I’m just being pessimistic.

Nevertheless, the Friars had a bad combination of giving up a lot of runs and not getting their own runners into scoring position.

They had nine hits on the night, but five of them were singles. Overall, they went 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position and left four runners on base.

That’s not going to cut it when you’re giving up 17 hits in the game. The three-run rally in the last two innings were far too little, way too late.

Below are some other takeaways from Tuesday’s loss against the Giants.

The San Diego Padres are playing .500 ball

Sweep the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers, get swept by the last-in-the-NL-Central Pittsburgh Pirates. Sweep the Baltimore Orioles and take the series against the St. Louis Cardinals, but lose to the last-place Giants.

Right when the Padres get rolling, they stumble and stay down for a while. Every semblance of progress gets negated by something different, something new. The Friars have been swept by two last-place teams this season in the Pirates and Giants – they’ll try to avoid making it three on Wednesday.

Good teams beat other good teams and hang around in close games – the Friars proved they can do that just in June alone.

However, good teams should also wallop the bad teams, not get blown out themselves.

And not just bad teams like the Orioles, who own the worst record in the MLB, but bad teams like the Giants, Pirates, and Miami Marlins. The Friars haven’t been able to do that consistently.

Here we are, nearing the All-Star Game and the Padres have fallen to 42-43. They’ve hovered around .500 mark all season long. This is why.

Matt Strahm isn’t a starter

Strahm started off the year well enough. After ten games through May, he had a 3.21 ERA and 1.122 WHIP, averaging 8.2 strikeouts per nine.

Since then, however, he’s been getting rocked. He averaged 10.13 earned runs in June alone, and his ERA on the year has ballooned to 5.42.

Before his loss to the Giants, Strahm had gone six straight games giving up exactly two home runs – he broke that streak in an unfortunate way on Tuesday night, giving up three home runs instead.

He lasted five innings, allowing seven runs off of 11 hits. Strahm’s last five starts have lasted a combined 23.2 innings, or 4.2 innings per game. He’s struggling.

With the imminent return of Dinelson Lamet, he might be the top candidate to head to the bullpen. In fact, that seems to be the plan, as his last start was the final one before the All-Star Game.

Joining the pen could do him some good in the long run. Before entering the starting rotation this season, Strahm had been a great reliever, sporting a .205 ERA, 0.978 WHIP and 69 strikeouts in 2018.

Take a look at Cal Quantrill, who’s given up one run off of four hits in his four games since joining the pen. Perhaps the move could help Strahm get back to his basics.

La Mole is Home Run Derby-deserving

With his 25th home run of the year, Franmil Reyes passed Hunter Renfroe (24) to lead the Padres in home runs. That also makes him tied for fourth in the MLB, owning one of the longest average home run distances in the league.

With five games left, it’s possible to see Reyes reach the 30-home run mark by the All-Star Game. It’s unlikely, but considering he’s had five home runs in his last six games, including a pair of two-home run games, you never know. He’s having a breakout year.

Selections to the Home Run Derby will be announced on tonight, July 3, and Reyes is 100% deserving of a nod.

The Padres will look to avoid the sweep against the Giants on Wednesday. For complete coverage on the San Diego Padres’ 2019 season, continue following Friars on Base all season long.