The Padres looked to bounce back in every game of this season as they had all season. But they handed away the lead in each game that left them looking for answers as their season-worst losing streak ballooned to seven games. The three losses to the last place Diamondbacks dropped them down to just 20 games over .500 and three games ahead of San Francisco if the Giants win Wednesday night. Here is how the Padres managed to lose their second straight series in their surprising slump that from late August to early September.

August 30^th, 2010 Padres 2 D-Backs 7

WP Joe Saunders (2-4) 8IP 10H 2R 2ER 0BB 2K 1HR

LP Wade LeBlanc (8-12) 3IP 6H 6R 6ER 1BB 3K 2HR

The Padres shot out the gates looking like a team that would end their longest losing streak of the season. They would show the Diamondbacks why they are the ones that sit atop the NL West. They would come out and impose their will. They did just that.

David Eckstein singled to start off the game. And then Miguel Tejada deposited Joe Saunders pitch into the left field bleachers to send the Padres up 2-0 with no outs. Then it all fell apart.

Wade LeBlanc was shelled giving up six runs, all earned, in just three innings.

With two out in the bottom of the first, Miguel Montero doubled in two runs to tie the game. He would score immediately when Stephen drew homered of LeBlanc to give the D-Backs a 4-2 lead.

Reynolds would homer again in the third, another two run shot, to make it 6-2 Arizona.

Reynolds collected his third hit with a RBI single in the eighth. He went 3-5 with two homers and five RBI’s. The Padres had 10 hits but left five runners on base. They grounded into two double plays.

August 31^st, 2010 Padres 4 D-Backs 7

WP Ian Kennedy (9-9) 7IP 7H 3R 3ER 2BB 5K 0HR

LP Kevin Correia (10-10) 4.33IP 6H 6R 6ER 3BB 6K 1HR

Two straight games the Padres jumped off to an early lead only to surrender it to the surging Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks scored seven runs against one of the majors’ top pitching staffs for the second straight night.

Down a pair in the second, Mark Reynolds hit his 32^nd home run with a man on to bring the Diamondbacks within a run.

Nick Hundley had an RBI double to extend the lead in the fourth inning. He went three for four with three doubles.

But the Diamondbacks batted around in the fifth inning, scoring five runs. The finished the scoring on Gerardo Parra’s bases loaded ground rule double. The two RBIs raised the score to 7-4 for the remainder of the game.

September 1^st, 2010 Padres 2 D-Backs 5

WP Barry Enright (5-2) 7IP 9H 2R 2ER 0BB 2K 1HR

LP Luke Gregerson (2-7) 0IP 2H 4R 3ER 1BB 0K 1HR

S Juan Gutierrez (6) 1IP 1H 0R 0ER 0BB 0K 0HR

Brandon Allen made quite the impression in his season debut for the Diamonbacks on Thursday with a go-ahead grand slam and two fine plays in the outfield. The Padres gave up yet another lead when Luke Gregerson blew his fifth save of the year.

Miguel Tejada had his second homer of the series, his fourth as a Friar, to give the Padres a 1-0 lead.

Mat Latos would then surrender a solo shot to Chris Young to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth. Latos tied his career high with 10 punch-outs surrendering only five hits. He had a chance for the win yet again when Will Venable had an RBI single in the top of the seventh.

But Gregerson walked Mark Reynolds to lead off the inning before Miguel Montero reached base on Tejada’s throwing error. A single by Gerardo Parra loaded the bases for Allen’s dramatic four –run homer that sealed the sweep for the Snakes and send the Padres to their seventh straight defeat.