The Padres had chances on Saturday to make a young pitcher work a lot harder and leave a lot earlier. Then they had a chance against the major leagues’ worst bullpen. They could have beat a bad team and created a surge at the start of the season’s second half. Instead, a 4-2 loss to the Nationals was like so many before it this season.

Nathaniel Lowe homered and the Washington Nationals snapped a five-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the San Diego Padres.

PITCHING PROBABLES: Padres: Nick Pivetta (9-2, 2.88 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 122 strikeouts); Nationals: MacKenzie Gore (4-8, 3.02 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 138 strikeouts) BOTTOM LINE: The Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres play on Sunday with the three-game series tied 1-1.

Xander Bogaerts’ grand slam gets Padres on way to 8-1 victory; Nick Pivetta allows one run over six innings for his 10th victory

A year later, the Padres find themselves in slightly better standing. They are 55-49, one game ahead of their 54-50 record last July 24. They are also entering dangerous territory. The wins and losses tell a story of year-over-year improvement. The recent trend lines do not.

The Washington Nationals aim to stop their four-game home losing streak with a victory over the San Diego Padres.

The San Diego Padres need to add a starting pitcher before the MLB trade deadline, and Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara is a great fit.

The San Diego Padres were given a major boost in the National League West race after the organization got a positive update regarding starting pitcher Michael K

The Padres, who made two more outs witohout scoring in that inning and did not have another baserunner in the game, had come back from a 3-0 before scoring twice in the fourth and tying the game ...