Cease (11-9) took the loss Sunday against Miami, allowing five runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks across five innings. He struck out five.
Cease got off to a rocky start, yielding four singles as part of a two-run first inning, with both runs being earned. The Padres defense didn't do him any favors in the second frame, with errors by Ha-Seong Kim and Luis Arraez extending the inning for an eventual two-run homer by Jake Burger. San Diego eventually settled in defensively, and Cease didn't allow another run to score, but the damage was already done. Sunday's loss was Cease's first since July 7, and it broke a streak of five consecutive appearances allowing no more than one run. In 25 outings, Cease has logged a 3.41 ERA and a league-leading 181 strikeouts. He's scheduled to face the Rockies at Coors Field next weekend.