Kansas City @ San Diego Game Overview

And so it was after a walk-off loss Wednesday at the Los Angeles Dodgers that was the team's seventh defeat in nine games. Shildt proceeded to say San Diego could "reel off three, four, five, six, seven series in a row that we win."

With a 5-1 triumph Saturday over the visiting Kansas City Royals, the Padres are in position to earn their first series victory in two weeks in the rubber game of a three-game set.

If nothing else, San Diego certainly played one of its cleanest games in a while. They Padres didn't make an error, and they got a quality start from Dylan Cease and a game-breaking, three-run homer from Fernando Tatis Jr. in the seventh inning. And a bullpen that's been heavily-taxed backed up Cease with 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

Multiple Padres relievers rank in the top 10 in appearances, including 38 from primary set-up man Jason Adam. That leads the majors.

"I want to be out there every night," Adam said Friday after allowing two eighth-inning runs to absorb the loss in a 6-5 verdict. "Body and arm feel great. So not a usage issue -- just an execution issue."

Adam could be out there again in the series finale, given that right-hander Randy Vasquez (3-4, 3.70 ERA) isn't even averaging five innings in his 15 starts. He last worked Tuesday in the Padres' 8-6 loss at the Dodgers, departing after five innings, four hits and three runs with no walks and two strikeouts. He took a no-decision.

Vasquez has faced Kansas City twice in his brief MLB career, going 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA. The win came on June 1, 2024, when he pitched five innings in a 7-3 decision.

The Royals will counter with right-hander Seth Lugo (4-5, 3.05), who will face San Diego for the first time since enjoying a good 2023 season as a member of the Padres. His most recent outing was Tuesday, a 6-1 win in Texas that saw him strike out nine in six innings while permitting only three hits, a run and a walk.

Lugo is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in 12 career games, 11 of them out of the bullpen, against the Padres. He made 26 starts for them two years ago, going 8-7 with a 3.57 ERA, before posting 16 wins last year as Kansas City made the American League playoffs.

He also played in his first All-Star Game and finished second to Detroit's Tarik Skubal in AL Cy Young Award balloting.

The Saturday night loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Royals, who managed only four hits off Cease and two relievers. It was a marked contrast to the first four games of the road trip, which saw the Royals bash nine homers.

Kansas City players know the long ball at their home park, Kauffman Stadium, is a rarer species than in almost any other MLB venue. Only PNC Park (Pittsburgh) and Oracle Park (San Francisco) have surrendered fewer homers since the start of the 2023 season.

"It's easier to hit home runs when we leave Kansas City," third baseman Maikel Garcia said. "The stadiums are smaller."

--Field Level Media