As the Padres have struggled to find consistency at the plate this year, their pitching has kept the team atop the NL West through May. And in the late innings, the Friars’ bullpen has stuck to a script to consistently shut down opponents. “If you look at all the teams that are having good seasons, a lot of it starts with the bullpen and the pitching staff,” said Padres manager Bud Black. Eighteen of the Friars’ 31 wins through the end of May have come by three runs or less. Ahead in tight games, the team has stuck to a successful closing sequence of righties — Luke Gregerson in the seventh, Mike Adams in the eighth and Heath Bell to close things out in the ninth. “We feel a bullpen works when players come to the park every day knowing their prescribed role,” Black said. “It changes at times from game to game depending on the availability of each pitcher, but for the most part we feel good about the roles in our ‘pen.” Coming off an All-Star campaign last year, Bell has not dropped off in 2010 with 14 saves and a lean 1.17 ERA through May. But the consistency in the bullpen this season starts before Bell even sees the ball. “The way most of us have been pitching, it has been going pretty well,” Gregerson said. “It seems like when we get that lead going up into the seventh inning, we’ve been doing pretty well to finish off.” Gregerson has found his groove in his second year in the majors, holding opponents scoreless in 21 of his 24 appearances through last month. In April, Gregerson set a Padres’ record by retiring 26 consecutive batters and he said he relishes entering the game when the score is close. “You get that really big adrenaline rush when you’re out there and it just adds to being able to perform better,” Gregerson said. “I throw the pitches a little harder, break them off a little harder and just execute a lot better.” Adams comes in after Gregerson, and he is showing this year that his 0.73 ERA in 37 appearances last year is not a fluke. Adams said the success of the bullpen has been a result of going after the opposition. “We’ve done a good job of attacking the strike zone and attacking the hitters – not shying away from contact,” Adams said. “More times than not, if you attack the hitters and you have good stuff, you’re going to come out on top as a pitcher.” Both Adams and Gregerson said they enjoy pitching in preset roles. Gregerson said having a role helps him stay focused on the game from left centerfield. “When you’re out there in the bullpen sitting there for a couple hours every day, you know when you need to get ready,” Gregerson said. “It helps me get mentally and physically prepared.” As the Padres continue to grow into the role of division leader, they can look to their own bullpen as an example. When the game is on line, Friars relievers know their role.