The Padres didn’t stumble out of October so much as they ran out of runway. Over three taut, low-scoring games against the Chicago Cubs, San Diego kept the margins microscopic and the stress high — exactly the kind of series that should reward a club built on run prevention, matchup flexibility, and a deep bullpen. But when the at-bats that decide everything arrived, the bats that were supposed to carry them never got out of neutral.
That was the season-long theme distilled into three games: elite run prevention buys you chances; timely offense has to cash them. The Padres’ pitching staff did enough to win a series, allowing just six runs total.