This was the blueprint. Drag the Cubs’ lefty starter into deep counts, pry open the middle innings, and let the San Diego Padre’s bullpen turn leverage into rope. For nearly five frames, it looked exactly like something the Padres’ analysts would’ve sketched on a whiteboard: low scoring, tight margins, every pitch heavy.
But the flip side of that plan — the part everyone’s tiptoed around all year showed up at the worst time. The Padres don’t lack stars; they’ve just lacked thunder. When the contact-first approach doesn’t stack traffic, the margin gets razor thin. And in October, “almost” doesn’t pay.