WASHINGTON _ The Padres on Sunday got another solid start from a reliever who, in manager Andy Green's words, had been "a starter who went to the bullpen that wanted to be in the rotation, took the ball and attacked with a bullpen-type mentality."
On Monday, neither Robbie Erlin nor Bryan Mitchell could follow Jordan Lyles' example, as the Washington Nationals roughed up both en route to a 10-2 victory that ended the Padres' winning streak at three games.
In his second start of the season, Erlin (1-3) went four innings, one longer than he had in his first start. He also gave up the same amount of runs (six).
Mitchell, making just his second relief appearance since his expulsion from the starting rotation on May 7, came on in the fifth inning.
Bryce Harper, the first batter Mitchell faced, homered. Mitchell also would give up a solo home run to Mark Reynolds, who previously hit a three-run homer off Erlin.
Mitchell allowed four runs in three innings.
The best pitcher of the night for the Padres was Kazuhisa Makita, the submariner who hadn't pitched for a week because the Padres had played a series of close games and his 16.20 ERA in his four most recent appearances did not merit trust in such situations.
The peculiarity of Makita is that his scoreless eighth inning Monday kept his ERA at 0.00 in nine innings away from Petco Park.
Meanwhile, the Padres had three hits. Just two of them were off Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez (5-2) in his seven innings of work.
One of those was rookie Franmil Reyes' first major league home run.
Lest anyone think the Padres are the only team with young phenoms possibly on the verge of helping them at the major-league level, the Nationals got a three-run homer from 19-year old Juan Soto, the youngest player in the majors who was called up Sunday and was playing in his second game.
