It's a tired refrain, really: A Padres pitcher takes a no-no into the latter stages of a game. The conversation inevitably turns to that dubious drought. Then, a batted ball finds a patch of grass in the outfield, and the talk turns to when that elusive no-hitter will finally come.
Why not 2016?
"You look at the history of no-hitters, perfect games, it's not always guys with fantastic stuff," says Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley. "There's a game here or there almost every year where you wouldn't predict a no-no.