Petco Park- San Diego, California

Michael King struck out nine batters over five innings, and the bullpen added eight more.

A dominant 17-strikeout performance, but not enough in a 1-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on April 25.

It was just the second home loss for the Padres this season. San Diego kicked off a 6-game home stand against the Rays, without three key starters. The offense recorded just five hits and left five on base while going 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position.

Earlier in the day, Padres general manager A.J. Preller told local reporters that Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth, and Luis Arraez will not join the team during these six home games. Their absence leaves the Padres without three left-handed hitters in the lineup.

Merrill strained his right hamstring during a game against the Chicago Cubs on April 6. Cronenworth suffered a rib fracture in the same game after he was hit by a pitch. Luis Arraez suffered a concussion from a collision while running to first base on April 20 against the Houston Astros.

The one bright spot for the offense in this game came in the fifth inning. Tirso Ornelas hit a ground ball up the middle for his first major league hit. The excitement was short-lived, however. Catcher Elias Diaz followed up the milestone by hitting into a double play. It was that kind of night for the Padres.

Four relievers entered the game for San Diego — Adrian Morejon, Wandy Peralta, Jeremiah Estrada, and Alex Jacob. Each reliever pitched one inning, and each reliever had two strikeouts.

The Rays’ lone run came in the top of the third inning. Tampa Bay loaded the bases with no outs. From there, Rays designated hitter Yandy Diaz hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Taylor Walls from third.

Next up

The Rays and Padres will play Game 2 of this three-game series on April 26. Dylan Cease will toe the rubber for the Padres. Ryan Pepiot gets the start for Tampa Bay.

The game is scheduled to begin at 5:40 p.m. PDT.

Mike Ursery

Mike is the sports editor for the Fayette Advertiser, and has been with East Village Times since 2015. His work has appeared on Bleacher Report. He is an avid Padres fan who is keeping the faith and trusting the process.