San Diego Padres Series Preview: Friars visit Yankee Stadium for three-game set
Padres vs. Yankees series preview.
The San Diego Padres will visit Yankee Stadium to play a three-game series against the Bronx Bombers that will run from Monday, May 27 to Wednesday, May 29. The Friars are coming off a rough 10-1 loss against the Toronto Blue Jays, but San Diego has won five of its last six games.
The Padres are currently second in the NL West with a 28-25 record but are seven games back of the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers. Andy Green’s team has a better shot in the Wild Card race as the Friars are currently just a game and a half back of the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers.
There are still plenty of players struggling in the Padres’ lineup like Wil Myers and Ian Kinsler, but other players like Josh Naylor, Eric Hosmer, and Hunter Renfroe have been impressive lately. The pitching staff also seems to be improving, and the core of the rotation will feature in this series for Andy Green and company.
The New York Yankees have been one of the best teams in baseball this year, currently leading the highly competitive AL East division with a 34-18 record. The Bronx Bombers have won seven of their last eight games coming off an 8-7 loss to the Kansas City Royals.
The Yankees have injuries to key players like Giancarlo Stanton, Didi Gregorius, Greg Bird, and Aaron Judge, but have still managed to play well. Players like Luke Voit, D.J. LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres have shined this season and have contributed heavily to the team’s success.
Pitching Matchups
Game 1 (Monday, May 27 – 10:00 A.M. PST) TBD vs. Matt Strahm (2-3, 3.06 ERA)
Game 2 (Tuesday, May 28 – 3:35 P.M. PST) Masahiro Tanaka (3-3, 2.94 ERA) vs. Eric Lauer (3-4, 4.73 ERA)
Game 3 (Wednesday, May 29 – 10:05 A.M. PST) TBD vs. Chris Paddack (4-2, 1.93 ERA)
The ball tends to fly at Yankee Stadium, but the Padres will have the core of their pitching staff going into this series. Matt Strahm has been improving vastly as the season has progressed, while Chris Paddack is an early rookie of the year candidate. Eric Lauer will have a very tough task against Masahiro Tanka in the second game of the series as the Japanese hurler has been very impressive this season.
Players to Watch
Luke Voit
Voit is 0-for-7 in his last two games but has easily been one of the Yankees best players this year. The 28-year-old also recently hit a 470-foot bomb at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and has massive power as he has already slugged 13 home runs this season.
Manny Machado
Machado went just 3-for-12 in the recent three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, but he has a nice track record at Yankee Stadium. Machado has hit .289/.344/.478 with eight home runs and 20 RBI in 45 career games at the house that Ruth built and needs to pick up his current form.
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.