Padres Series Preview: Padres Cap Off Road Trip with Three-Game Set at Dodger Stadium
From the city where rappers are born to the city where many of them reside. We go from Atlanta to L.A. to cap off this road trip.
The San Diego Padres current situation isn’t looking like a platinum album but more like the mix tape the guy on the trolley hands you. Yes these are troubling times for the San Diego Padres and their supporters. But we can still see some potential in this already lost season. The Padres will cap off this road trip with a three game set against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
Overall the Padres have done okay against the Dodgers this season going 5-8 against them. The last time these two teams would face off it really would not go well with the Friars. They would end up losing three out of four games against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. In terms of current form the Dodgers are doing okay but not amazing. When you look at their last five series the Dodgers have won three out of the five. The thing is the Dodgers have lost a series to the Rockies and also drew a four game series to the Cincinnati Reds.
Obviously this team is beatable, the Padres have shown that earlier in this season. This will definitely be a tough series if were over here getting swept by teams like the Atlanta Braves. Another factor to consider is that in those five series the Dodgers also won series against the Giants and the Cubs. Dave Roberts team looks to be a strong contender this season. All arrows are pointing towards the possibility of this series not being the best for the Friars. Then again it’s hard to say in these division rivalries, there’s always a sense of improbability in the air. Let’s just hope for an exciting series with some decent baseball and anything but a sweep, please.
Pitching Matchups
Clayton Richard vs Julio Urias 7:10 p.m.
Luis Perdomo vs TBA 6:10 p.m.
Christian Friedrich vs TBA 1:10 p.m.
The Pitching matchups in this series do have the potential to be interesting. While it is still unclear as to who the Dodgers may be starting throughout the series. The Padres pitchers do add a sense of hope in this series. The first game of the series will bring the most appealing matchup of the series (at least to me). The second best lefty named Clayton in the N.L. West will take on Julio Urias. Clayton Richard really has turned into a revelation for the Padres this season. He has done outstanding so far as a starting pitcher for the Padres this season. In his three starts as a Friar, Richard has gone 2-1 with an ERA of 1.00. I mean that is just crazy to think, how good he has been. He has also faced pretty decent opponents in the Marlins, Mets and Diamondbacks. Richard however will face a tough task in the Dodgers and in the no longer teenager, Julio Urias. The young man out of Culiacan, Mexico has been great in his last few starts. After a few shaky outings to start off his MLB career, Urias has really been sharp as of late. In his last three starts Urias has gone 3-0 with an astronomically small ERA of 0.61. That ERA is just really out of this world for his last three starts. Urias looks to have found his groove especially at home where he has posted an ERA of 2.90 in six starts. I really feel that this will really turn out be a true pitching matchup. Nothing like what we saw in Atlanta earlier in the week. Hopefully the Pads can come out on top but it really is hard to say.
It is still unclear as to who will be on the mound for the Dodgers on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. At the moment it is looking like Rich Hill and Kenta Maeda could get the nod. One thing we do know at the moment is who will be starting for the San Diego Padres. On Saturday we will have the ever-growing sinker baller, Luis Perdomo on the mound. Perdomo has really progressed this season and has had some of his best starts in his last few games. His last start would be an absolute gem against the Miami Marlins. Perdomo would throw a complete game against the Fish in which he would only allow one run to score. In his last two starts Perdomo has only allowed a single run in 16 innings. Now that is something to really be excited about. I can’t wait to see Perdomo on the mound on Saturday night against the Dodgers. Sunday will bring forth an unexpected pitcher for the Padres. Christian Friedrich will get the nod for Sunday afternoon. This is really unexpected especially considering that Friedrich would pitch out of the bullpen in the Braves series. Friedrich has struggled severely against the Dodgers this season with an ERA of 5.40 in two starts. So this is especially interesting that Andy Green would go for the lefty in this one. If Maeda does get the nod for Sunday, this could turn out to be quite an ugly game. But we’ll just have to wait and see what transpires throughout this series.
Matchups
Howie Kendrick vs Luis Perdomo
Interestingly enough no Dodger has been able to homer off of Luis Perdomo just yet. A few of them however have been able to connect some extra base hits on the 23-year old. One of the more successful Dodgers to do so is Howie Kendrick. The veteran has gone 4-6 with two RBI against Perdomo this season which is already impressive on its own. However, Howie has done much more than that against Perdomo. Three out of the four hits Kendrick has have been doubles. So yes Kendrick can definitely get on base, he can even get an extra base off Perdomo. This matchup will certainly be one of the premier matchups to look at in this series.
Players To Watch
Unless you missed it Yasiel Puig was actually down in the minor leagues for a bit. Well the Dodgers have finally brought the Cuban outfielder back to the majors. It is unclear whether Puig will get some action in this series but I am definitely expecting it. Josh Reddick has been hitting under the Mendoza line since joining the Dodgers. Puig should get the chance to be a starter for the Dodgers once again. Yasiel has always been an exciting player to watch, there is no doubt about that. His antics alone are worth paying attention to the guy. But in all seriousness, it would be nice to see Puig revitalize his career. Some people love him, some hate him, well I must say that I am a fan of the guy. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how the fans react to his return to the Bigs. I strongly believe that we will at least get to see Puig on Saturday, if not Friday. Puig has absolutely destroyed Luis Perdomo. The Cuban player is 5-7 against the Dominican pitcher with a triple, a walk and three RBI. Hopefully Perdomo can handle Puig, but we will have to see how it goes. Definitely look out for number 66 in this series.
From a Latino outfielder for the Dodgers we go to a Latino outfielder for the Friars, Oswaldo Arcia. it seems that throughout the season the Padres have brought up players or claimed players that have made an impact on the team. From Ryan Schimpf to Cesar Vargas, Alex Dickerson, Clayton Richard the list goes on. All of these guys have had spectacular moments throughout the season and nobody expected it. Well Oswaldo Arcia seems to be on his way to perhaps being on that list if he can continue to perform. Arcia has only achieved four hits in four games for the Padres. But two of those hits have been home runs and another one has been a double. In fact the two home runs would come recently in the series against the Atlanta Braves. Arcia looks to have potential for the San Diego Padres. Hopefully he can keep it up and hammer a couple more dingers in this series. Hopefully the Padres can also at least bang out a couple wins in this series. I smell the improbability in the air, Go Padres!
Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.