Vargas and Padres get inched out by a run in series split

Yesterday was a wacky eventful extra-innings game, full of home runs and more home runs. This afternoon, the Padres were sunk by a pair of homers, despite a more tight outing from Cesar Vargas.

Vargas is still likely on a strict pitch count, but after 5 innings 96 pitches were running a bit high. Despite giving up 8 hits, he was only squeezed of 2 earned runs, two home runs, one in the 3rd and one in the 5th. By the end of his outing he had 7 strikeouts and zero walks.

The Friars found some offense from Derek Norris and Brett Wallace, as Wallace was replacing Wil Myers at the last second (not from that leg cramp, but from forearm tightness, which might be worse news.) In addition to Jon Jay being unavailable due to shoulder soreness. Despite the gaps in the lineup, the Pads at least pulled two runs out of the day: a sacrifice fly from Norris and a solo HR from Wallace.

Wallace lines a homer to center

Two runs are rarely enough, not when the pitching isn't in complete shut-down mode. An RBI-double off Kevin Quackenbush was the game-decider, and the Padres split the series with the Brewers.

The San Diego roster will get a day to rest the soreness, with 10~ players already feeling it through the middle of May. The day off will come before a good-and-long homestand against the Giants and Dodgers, and will likely determine the shape of the NL West for the upcoming month.