Sears was back as a traditional starter after working in long relief his previous time out. He got off to a shaky beginning, giving up a run in each of his first two frames. Sears' final line could have been much worse -- he loaded the bases in the fourth before turning the ball over to the bullpen with two outs, and Wandy Peralta got out of the jam when a pitch that was initially called ball four was overturned to strike three upon review. Sears had been pitching well coming into Thursday, posting a 2.04 ERA with a 14:4 K:BB over 17.2 innings across his first four starts in July, so he'll likely remain in the rotation for the time being. He's slated to make his next start in Arizona.

Pitching behind Randy Vasquez as a bulk reliever, Sears thrived while scattering one single across 3.1 scoreless frames. Saturday disrupted a string of five consecutive starts for the 30-year-old left-hander, whose role with the Padres appears uncertain going forward. Sears, who sports a 3.86 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 23:9 K:BB over 28 innings for San Diego since being recalled from Triple-A El Paso, could maintain some streaming appeal in fantasy leagues if he takes his next scheduled turn in the rotation against the Giants.