MILWAUKEE — Suddenly, there’s a new problem.
Taylor Rogers can’t finish games.
The Padres closer, who was leading the major leagues in saves less than a week ago, on Thursday night gave up all of a three-run lead in the ninth inning and took the loss as the Brewers came back for a 5-4 victory. (Box score.)
The Padres were up 4-1 and poised to halt a losing streak at three games when Rogers came in and couldn’t record an out.
He gave up a single to Keston Hiura, walked Kolten Wong and hit Victor Caratini to load the bases before Jace Peterson cleared them with a triple that was almost a grand slam.
Nabil Crismatt was called on, and Andrew McCutchen singled up the middle to snap an 0-for-31 streak and win it for the Brewers.
Not only was Thursday the third straight game Rogers either lost or blew a save, the ending ruined what would have been a highly satisfying victory on the heels of being swept in St. Louis.
Sean Manaea allowed a run in six innings, the sixth straight start the left-hander has gone at least six innings but the first time in seven starts he allowed fewer than three runs.
The Padres, who averaged a major league-worst 2.8 runs while going 2-6 over the previous eight games, took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning when Manny Machado singled and scored from first on Eric Hosmer’s double.
The Brewers tied it 1-1 in the bottom of the inning.
Manaea, whose fastball velocity fell precipitously, from above 93 mph consistently in the first inning to 89 mph by the fifth, did well to limit the scoring after the Brewers loaded the bases with no outs on a bunt single by Wong, a walk of Caratini and Peterson’s line drive single to right field.
McCutchen grounded a ball to shortstop Sergio Alcantara that drove in Wong. The swift McCutchen beat out a double play attempt, but Luis Urías hit into one to end the inning.
Adrian Houser, who had thrown 100 pitches, was replaced by left-hander Brent Suter at the start of the sixth. That prompted Padres manager Bob Melvin to replace Nomar Mazara with José Azocar, who flared a double off the handle of his bat and down the right field line. Trent Grisham bunted Azocar to third base before Suter’s first pitch to Jorge Alfaro was launched a projected 416 feet and just over the wall in center field.
The Padres added to the lead off Peter Strzelecki in the seventh, loading the bases on Luke Voit’s single, walks by Grisham and Alfaro and Alcantara’s sacrifice fly.
