None of that held. Both bullpens got hit, and stayed hit, well past the point either roster wanted.
The bottom fell out in the seventh — San Diego put up 3, Tampa Bay answered with 4, and a game that had been 3-3 through six turned into a one-run margin the rest of the way. Final: Rays 7, Padres 6, with Tampa Bay's 11 hits and San Diego's own error not helping matters.
The result stacks a second straight loss to Tampa Bay onto San Diego's ledger — the Padres also dropped the series opener 4-9 before this one got away from them late. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, keeps stretching what was already a couple wins in a row into a run that's starting to look less like a hot streak and more like their normal level.
San Diego sits at 72-63 as the stretch run tightens, while Tampa Bay's 80-54 mark keeps them among the sport's best. A single game against a fringe contender doesn't decide anything on its own, but it's exactly the kind of one-run slugfest that separates two clubs by the time October arrives.