Padres reliever Brandon Maurer took his fourth loss of the season on Sunday, when he allowed a three-run, walk-off home run to the Marlins' Adeiny Hechavarria.
Maurer, who has already established a new career-high in appearances, has allowed seven earned runs over his past five innings of work, spanning seven outings. The right-hander believes fatigue could be a partial reason for his recent struggles.
"I've been tired the last couple days," said Maurer, per MLB.com. "I've stepped up the workload in the training room, trying to flex some stuff [inflammation] out.
"I got hit in the arm [in New York]. I think that might've had to do with my slider not being quite as sharp, pushing it more than snapping it off."
Overall, Maurer has had himself a good season so far. He is 7-4 with a 3.06 ERA in 50 innings of relief.