By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Two contrasting themes of the early 2019 baseball season were reinforced on Monday night: the Giants are starting the season with a whimper, while the Padres are finishing games with a bang.

Kevin Pillar’s grand slam gave the Giants a 5-0 lead in the fourth, the first slam by a Giant in nearly two seasons. But it didn’t hold up. The Padres responded with a homer in each of the next three innings, and the visitors shocked the home team with a 6-5, come-from-behind, series-opening win.

“With the offense we have, we’re never out of a game,” said Padres’ starter Eric Lauer, who allowed the Pillar grand slam, but was still the pitcher of record when San Diego capped their rally in the seventh. “You know they’re going to produce at some point.”

Fernando Tatis Jr. homered off Bumgarner ahead of Eric Hosmer’s leadoff walk in the fifth. Will Myers also connected off Bumgarner leading off the sixth. And with the Giants clinging to a 5-4 lead, pinch hitter Franmil Reyes hit a two-run shot off Reyes Moronta in the seventh.

“I was already hyped, because what my teammates were doing. I was ready for that moment,” Reyes said.

For the Giants, Pillar’s blast was exactly what the struggling club needed, until it wasn’t all they needed. The Giants scored just 25 runs in their first 10 games, their most tepid beginning on offense since they moved West in 1958. That painfully rough start to the season prompted several roster changes. Pillar was acquired from Toronto last week, and power-hitting first baseman Tyler Austin was acquired in a trade with the Twins Monday, and immediately plugged into the starting lineup.

While Pillar’s slam represented a turnaround, the Giants’ hit total (5, three singles, double, home run) was more of the same. Lauer escaped further damage, retiring seven of the final eight batters he faced. The San Diego bullpen followed suit, retiring nine of 11. After Buster Posey doubled leading off the eighth, Brandon Crawford struck out, Evan Longoria and Yangervis Solarte grounded out. Posey’s double stood as the Giants’ only hit over the final five frames.

Bumgarner’s presence in the mid-inning collapse made it that much tougher. The Giants’ ace has made three starts, but doesn’t have a win.

“You spot him five runs, it’s a real uphill climb. Our guys made that climb today,” Padres’ manager Andy Green said. “It was really special to come back against a guy like that.”

“I feel like we played a good game,” Bumgarner said. “There was a lot of home runs. Too many home runs.”

The Padres improved to 7-4 on the season, with four of those wins against the Giants, who fell to 3-8.

Derek Holland and San Diego’s Joey Luchessi get starting assignments in Tuesday’s newfangled 6:45pm start.

WINNING MANAGERS SOUND COOL AFTER THE GAME: Of course, Andy Green does it. The 41-year old Padres’ manager doesn’t stray from character in sounding cool amongst his players, who aren’t that much younger than him. 63-year old Bruce Bochy does it occasionally, which points to the retiring manager maintaining a keen ear inside his clubhouse.

Colorado’s Bud Black does it. Clint Hurdle and Bob Melvin too. And the silver-tongued Joe Maddon might be the all-time best.

All these loquacious big league managers can succinctly recap a ballgame in their postgame pressers, and keep it fresh by sprinkling in descriptions using the newest, hottest phrasings.

Green was gushing Monday in recounting his club’s come-from-behind win over the Giants. Firstly, he championed in his starter, Eric Lauer, who Green said had “everything coming out hot” with the exception of the pitches in his fourth inning hiccup.

But Green was just getting warmed up, saving his best for describing his never-say-die, Padres’ offense.

“It starts very subtly sometimes with a very grind walk from Hosmer before Tatis hits that home run. And the bench production we’re getting is borderline ridiculous right now,” Green said. “Everybody who comes off that bench realizes they’re being deployed as a weapon and they’re impacting baseballs in a profound way. … So just a really good team win.”