Dodgers unable to get out from early hole in 5-3 loss to Padres

Dave Roberts rejoined the Dodgers after serving a one-game suspension Saturday at his home about 25 miles north of the ballpark. He had managed only one inning all weekend. Ejected before the second inning began Friday, he watched Saturday’s eight-run victory from his couch with a glass of wine. On Sunday, in a 5-3 defeat at Petco Park, Kenta Maeda presented him with a far less enjoyable viewing experience.

The San Diego Padres got to Maeda for five runs in 3 2/3 innings. Maeda gave up eight hits and struck out only one batter. The Dodgers (55-29) missed a chance to sweep their National League West foes. Maeda missed an opportunity to solidify his spot in the starting rotation.

“I don’t know if he didn’t feel comfortable out there, mechanically, physically,” Roberts said. “But it just wasn’t what we’ve seen in his last outings.”

From his view inside the dugout, Roberts saw Maeda (6-4) lack the aggression that punctuated his recent improvement. Facing a lineup that lacked regulars like Wil Myers and Austin Hedges, Maeda still stumbled.

In the aftermath, as several Dodgers stewed about Justin Turner and Alex Wood getting snubbed from the All-Star game, Maeda vowed to avoid a repeat of his performance Sunday. Maeda said his arsenal was lacking and his approach was faulty.

“It’s disappointing that even though I didn’t have my stuff, I didn’t battle it out,” Maeda said. “The results didn’t look good today. I’m hoping that I’ll get back on the right track.”

The Dodgers pestered starter Jhoulys Chacin (7-7) but could not produce a run against him. The Dodgers were hitless in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position against the right-hander. He stranded nine men, and the Dodgers stranded 12 in all. Corey Seager provided some offense with a two-run double against Ryan Buchter in the sixth inning. Yasmani Grandal homered against Buchter in the seventh.

Even so, the offense could not replicate the pyrotechnics from the first two games in the series, when they produced 18 runs. The Dodgers lost for only the fourth time in a stretch of 20 games without a day off.

“Honestly, we just missed the big hit,” Seager said. “We left 11, 12 runners on. You can’t do that and expect to win.”

Maeda is back in the rotation only because Brandon McCarthy suffered a recurrence of control issues last week. McCarthy could return this weekend, although Hyun-Jin Ryu may land on the disabled list because of a sore foot. So the Dodgers are still hoping Maeda can contribute.

June was Maeda’s best month in 2017. He lost his spot in the rotation with a shaky outing June 4 in Milwaukee, but made two spot starts with credible results. He had given up one run in his last 13 innings heading into Sunday, including seven scoreless innings against the Angels on June 27. Maeda finished the month with a 1.71 earned-run average.

“I started off on a pretty bad note,” Maeda said. “I was able to get back in a groove a little bit, aside from today.”

In the game’s second at-bat, outfielder Manuel Margot hit a belt-high, 3-and-2 fastball from Maeda for a home run. Two batters later, outfielder Hunter Renfroe doubled. A circus catch by Yasiel Puig in right field on a ball hit by first baseman Hector Sanchez prevented the Padres from scoring again.

Puig could not save Maeda in the second inning. Maeda clipped shortstop Erick Aybar with a 2-and-1 fastball. Second baseman Carlos Asuaje hit a single. After a walk by catcher Luis Torrens loaded the bases, Chacin grounded into a run-producing double play.

Maeda could not escape the inning without further damage. Jose Pirela doubled in a run on a changeup. Margot followed with a run-scoring double to inflate San Diego’s lead to four runs. Margot took advantage of a curveball in the zone.

“Not that he’s trying to hang breaking balls or changeups, but there were a lot of pitches that backed up over the big part of the plate,” Roberts said.

Maeda could not finish the fourth inning. A one-out single by Torrens led to a run-scoring hit by Pirela. Roberts had seen enough. He made his first pitching change of the weekend.

“Aside from this outing, I’ve been able to attack the zone pretty well,” Maeda said. “I had a more competitive edge. I think I’m going to try to get that back in the next outing.”

andy.mccullough@latimes.com

Twitter: @McCulloughTimes