Yes, the San Diego Padres bullpen yet again blew a late-game lead. There’s no need to panic or scream into a pillow quite yet.

Only one playoff appearance over the last fifteen seasons can easily be a cause of concern. That one playoff appearance coincidentally came in the 60-game COVID season. It’s not a shocker for die-hard fans like my cousin Cameron to start implying “same old Padres”.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint

You’ll never hear me utter, “it’s just one game, it doesn’t matter”. Each game absolutely does matter. A one-game separation after a 162-game season may not happen often.