But, my, how quickly things can change.
The Padres scored eight runs in the seventh and eighth innings, pulling to within one run before the Giants tacked on four runs in the bottom of the eight for a 13-8 victory in the series finale.
That spirited comeback -- two runs in the seventh and six more in the eighth -- showed something to Padres interim manager Pat Murphy, who is 3-6 since taking over last week.
The team is scuffling, there's no denying that, he said. But Murphy can't help but feel there's more in there -- more hits, more runs and, ultimately, more victories.