May 31, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Wandy Peralta (58) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images
San Diego, California – If there’s one thing the Padres offense can’t seem to find, it’s not power, speed, or even a higher batting average. It’s consistency.
Saturday night’s 5–0 loss to the Pirates at Petco Park was just the latest reminder of how hot-and-cold this San Diego team can be. After putting up big numbers earlier in the week, the Padres managed only two hits against Pittsburgh lefty Bailey Falter, who cruised through 6.1 shutout innings with just one strikeout. Despite not overpowering hitters, Falter and the Pirates bullpen completely shut the door on San Diego’s bats.
For a team that’s shown it can average six runs a game over a good week, the flipside has been brutal. In stretches like the one they hit during May — where six runs over a full week wasn’t just a metaphor but an actual stat line — the Padres look like a completely different club.
Saturday was one of those nights.
Dylan Cease, who’s still searching for his first win since April 2, wasn’t terrible, but he wasn’t particularly sharp either. He gave up three runs on seven hits over 4.2 innings, striking out six and walking one. The outing raised his pitch count to 95 before manager Mike Shildt turned things over to the bullpen.
Most relievers held the line. Yuki Matsui, however, struggled mightily. The lefty faced four batters in the seventh and all of them reached base — capped off by a two-run double from Bryan Reynolds and an RBI single by Spencer Horwitz that stretched Pittsburgh’s lead to five.
Adding insult to injury, Andrew McCutchen’s towering solo shot in the fifth sailed into the second deck, marking his 396th career home run — one shy of tying Pirates legend Roberto Clemente.
For Padres fans, it’s frustrating to watch a team capable of lighting up scoreboards fall so flat on any given night. Whether it’s quality pitching or simply grinding out at-bats, the offense has shown it can be dangerous — but rarely is it that way for long stretches.
San Diego still has a chance to win the series on Sunday afternoon, with Randy Vásquez taking the mound against lefty Andrew Heaney. But until this offense finds some rhythm — and holds it — every series feels like a coin flip.
