By the time Javier Vazquez settled down Thursday night, it was too late.

Vazquez threw six solid innings, but was outpitched by Tim Stauffer in the Florida Marlins' 3-1 loss to the San Diego Padres.

Vazquez (7-11) allowed three runs -- all coming in the first two innings -- and five hits. The right-hander retired his last 14 batters but still dropped to 0-2 with a 2.77 ERA in four starts this month.

"You can't hide it, you play the game to win and you want to win," Vazquez said. "It's frustrating."

Marlins manager Jack McKeon sounded frustrated, too.

"Same old story every night, right?" McKeon said. "We get behind in the first inning. We have a tough time getting our offense going every night. We're getting killed in the first inning. We're behind every night."

Stauffer (8-9) allowed one run -- John Buck's 15th homer in the seventh inning -- and five hits in seven innings. The right-hander struck out five and walked one in his first outing since he yielded five homers and nine runs in just three innings of a 13-1 loss at Cincinnati.

"It seems like when we get in those situations and hit the ball hard, it's not going anywhere, it's just going right at people," Buck said. "Guys are making diving plays and we're hitting the ball hard at somebody, and it stinks. Javy threw an unbelievable game. It just stinks."

Jesus Guzman drove in two runs for the Padres, who beat Florida for the 10th time in 12 games. Heath Bell pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 33rd save in 36 chances.

Florida has lost 12 of 14 to fall a season-high 24 games behind NL East-leading Philadelphia.

San Diego scored twice in the first, but missed out on a chance for a bigger inning.

Jason Bartlett hit a one-out double and Cameron Maybin reached on an infield single. Guzman followed with a two-run triple. Orlando Hudson then was hit by a pitch and stole second base with Kyle Blanks at the plate.

Blanks stuck out on Hudson's steal of second. When Buck's throw caromed off the glove of second baseman Jose Lopez and went into center field, Guzman came home. But plate umpire Tony Randazzo ruled Blanks interfered with Buck's throw on his swing for the third out of the inning.

"It was too late," Vazquez said. "I just kept pitching. In the first inning, I had some balls fall in there with tough luck."

Nick Hundley led off the San Diego second with his third triple in as many games and scored on Logan Forsythe's sacrifice fly. Hundley has hit safely in all six games he's played since returning from the disabled list, hitting .524 (11 for 21) with a homer and three RBIs.

Florida's Mike Stanton went 1 for 2 with two walks, but failed to homer for the first time in five games.