Bud Black lost it for the Padres.

There was no more important moment than the seventh inning when the game was tied 2-2 with no outs and the bases loaded, and Black screwed it up.

Starter Randy Wolf had given up two runs on six hits and three walks. He had one strikeout. He induced four double plays, which means half of his 16 outs came on four ground balls.

Wolf was sloppy, gutty and lucky to turn in a quality start. Black was lucky to receive a quality start from Wolf.

Then Black let Wolf start the seventh inning, which began with a double, single and walk to load the bases.

Black then brought in Joe Thatcher, who gave up a single, sacrifice fly and single to score all three base runners.

Atlanta 5, Padres 2.

Wolf never should have started the seventh. He never had good stuff, and he had less than that after six innings.

Wolf started the seventh presumably because Black has no confidence in his bullpen.

But Black brought in Thatcher, who had allowed 12 earned runs in 13.2 innings. He had allowed three of five inherited runners to score.

If Black is having trust issues with his bullpen, then Thatcher is the last pitcher he should turn to in a high leverage situation.

A few better candidates to start the seventh or enter the game with the bases loaded: Heath Bell, Cla Meredith, Justin Germano (now out of the rotation) or even Trevor Hoffman.

Give Black credit: He didn’t bring in Glendon Rusch.

Black, of course, was managing by formula — saving Bell for the eighth and Hoffman for the ninth. But he still found a way to select Thatcher over Meredith and Germano.

Even if Thatcher is a defensible choice, then he should have been taken out as soon as he gave up a hit. He didn’t get the job done. He didn’t kill the rally.

It isn’t Black’s job to “have confidence” in his bullpen or his bench or anything else. His job is to take what he has and make the best of it.

The Padres aren’t going to win games easily, and Black made things a whole lot harder last night.
— Kevin Brewer