Meltdown Loss to Padres Costs Diamondbacks Valuable Wild Card Ground

Wednesday night's game was not a pretty sight for the Arizona Diamondbacks, to say the least. With an opportunity to earn at worst a series split with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, Arizona quickly turned a close game into a meltdown loss, dropping game three by a score of 10-4 in San Diego.

Manager Torey Lovullo was ejected from the game for the first time all season. The Diamondbacks' bullpen turned in its worst overall performance in some time. Arizona's offense faced familiar situational issues.

The D-backs now trail the Padres in both the National League West and the Wild Card race by a full game, and are 5.5 games back of the third Wild Card spot.

The season series with San Diego is far from over, as is the regular season. Of course, there remains time for Arizona to turn their season around and storm into the postseason. But these games do add up, and could push GM Mike Hazen in a seller's direction rather than a buyer's as the trade deadline approaches.

Not to mention, losing games against struggling division rivals early in the year can play a negative role in late-season playoff pushes, as D-backs fans well know.

Diamondbacks melt down vs Padres

Jun 3, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Taylor Clarke against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Arizona trailed the Padres by a thin margin of 2-1 heading in to the bottom of the fifth inning. It was a game well within reach, and rookie starter Jose Cabrera had turned in four solid, if not eye-popping innings of two-run baseball.

And then, the spiral began.

Cabrera hit Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch, who subsequently stole second base with one out. Cabrera then made a mental error, throwing to second on a ground ball to try and get Tatis instead of going for the out at first base. Everyone was safe.

The rookie right-hander was then called for a balk, which prompted Lovullo's departure from the dugout and subsequent ejection. From there, things worsened. Cabrera gave up a two-run single and was pulled for Brandyn Garcia, who would be one of just two D-backs relievers to not allow an earned run. Cabrera was charged with four earned runs in 4.1 innings.

Taylor Clarke gave up four runs in a lopsided sixth. Three were earned as a result of a throwing error on Clarke. Juan Morillo gave up two runs on three hits in the seventh. Ryan Thompson threw the only scoreless full inning by an Arizona reliever in the eighth, though he did put two men on.

Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks' offense struggled in a familiar fashion, going 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Gabriel Moreno's RBI single in the first inning marked the only run scored by Arizona prior to the seventh inning, by which point the D-backs trailed by seven runs.

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