MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Manager Andy Green said the San Diego Padres were one win away from a great road trip.
They will have to settle for a winning one, and a much needed day to rest.
Brett Wallace homered, but the exhausted Padres lost 3-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.
"Those guys went out there and gave everything they had," Green said.
The Padres won two of three against the major league-leading Cubs before finishing their seven-game trip with a series split against the Brewers. They are off on Monday before kicking off a six-game homestand on Tuesday night against San Francisco.
San Diego won a 12-inning game that lasted more than five hours on Saturday night. But the extra work took its toll on a pitching staff that was already stretched thin.
"We didn't really have a lot of bullets in the gun, a lot of choices to make today," Green said. "We had a lot of pitchers in the bullpen down. We had starters up in the `pen at the end. We're using our closer in the eighth inning. Yet there we are in the ninth with a chance to tie the game, and possibly win the game."
San Diego had the tying run on third in the eighth, but Michael Blazek got Matt Kemp to fly out to center to end the threat. Jeremy Jeffress allowed a two-out double when right fielder Domingo Santana misplayed a fly ball, but the closer got Jose Pirela to ground out for his 10th save in 10 chances.
"The guys, they fought hard," Green said. "It is always disappointing when you come up on this end."
PADRES PITCHERS
Hampered by injuries throughout the rotation, San Diego has received contributions from all over the organization.
Padres starter Cesar Vargas, who began the year with Double-A San Antonio, bounced back from a tough start in a loss against the Cubs on Tuesday. He allowed two runs over five innings, striking out a career-high seven.
"I felt like I was more aggressive today. I was really trying to get ahead in the count and focus on first pitch strikes," Vargas said. "Obviously I made a couple of mistakes, that is part of it. I am definitely learning from those."
WINNING BREW
Milwaukee slugger Chris Carter was mired in an 0-for-23 slide before he belted a 443-foot homer off the scoreboard in center field in the third. Carter, who finished with three hits, also doubled home the winning run against Kevin Quackenbush (1-2) in the seventh.
Jonathan Lucroy also homered for Milwaukee. Blaine Boyer (1-0) got two outs for the win.
FRESH ARM
The Padres called up reliever Tayron Guerrero from Triple-A El Paso, sending fellow right-hander Leonel Campos back down.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: Derek Norris (left hand) returned to the starting lineup, playing first base, and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. ... Regular first baseman Wil Myers was a late scratch with left forearm tightness. "Had it the last couple days, today was a little worse," he said. "It was one of those things, I was in the cage and I knew that I didn't feel that I could perform at the big league level."
Brewers: LF Ryan Braun had a precautionary X-ray on his irritated right wrist that was negative and was out of the starting lineup for the second straight day. Braun said the wrist began bothering him a couple of days ago, but he played through it. He is hitting .367 with seven homers and 27 RBIs and considered day to day.
UP NEXT
Padres: San Diego will face Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija in the series against the Giants.
Brewers: Milwaukee also is off on Monday before welcoming the Cubs for a three-game series. RHP Chase Anderson (1-5, 6.11 ERA) will face Cubs RHP Kyle Hendricks (2-2, 3.03 ERA) in the opener.
