Padres right-hander Edinson Volquez has been known for going through streaks of wildness during his career.
He seemingly encountered one of those streaks Thursday in the fourth inning of the Padres' season opener against the Dodgers at Petco Park.
After retiring nine of the first 10 Dodgers he faced, getting five of those outs via the strikeout as he negotiated three innings on just 34 pitches, Volquez lost control in the fourth, and that helped Los Angeles earn a 5-3 win.
He walked four Dodgers in a five-batter span, with two of the walks coming with the bases loaded. He also threw a wild pitch and could have thrown a second. Volquez needed the same number of pitches just to get out of the fourth as he needed to complete the first three innings.
However, Volquez hinted that maybe he wasn't the one who presented the Dodgers will all their free passes. He pointed the finger at plate umpire Gary Darling.
"I think the umpire might have missed a couple pitches that could have gone my way," said Volquez, referring directly to a 2-and-2 pitch that Juan Rivera took for a ball before singling to load the bases and a full-count pitch that Juan Uribe took for ball four to reload the bases.
"When you throw your best pitch and the umpire doesn't make the call you expect, it goes straight to your head," Volquez said. "I feel a few pitches were strikes and called balls. They were close. It could have made a difference. Sometimes that happens. I thought I was unlucky a couple of times."
Padres manager Bud Black said, "He was around the zone. A couple key borderline pitches didn't go his way. He was just missing, but he kept his composure."
