Game 53 Preview: 06/01 Padres vs. Mets

Fresh off a split against the Pirates, the Padres continue their homestand this evening as the Mets come to town for a three-game set. Kicking off the series will be Andrew Cashner for San Diego and Jacob deGrom for New York.

Cashner has faced the Mets six times in his career, posting a 4.26 ERA, though only one of those outings was a start. Last June he pitched against them at Citi Field, going six innings and giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks. Although both of his wins this season came on the road, the right-hander has arguably pitched better in his four games at home, where he's posted a 2.42 ERA with 31 strikeouts (compared to a 3.41 ERA and 29 strikeouts away from Petco Park).

Cashner is coming off his first winning decision since April 19th, and just his second win of the year despite some respectable numbers. Of his 10 starts going into tonight's game, eight have been quality starts. He's been tagged as the losing pitcher in seven of his appearances, thanks to some lousy run support by the Padres offense. In those seven games, they've backed him by a combined 13 runs. His start against the Angels last week, they gave him five runs to work with.

Meanwhile deGrom has gotten five or more runs of support in half of his ten starts this season, helping him get to a 5-4 record while posting a 2.71 ERA. He won three of his last four decisions and hopes to continue the success as he makes his first career appearance against San Diego.

After going 14-15 in May, the Padres will be looking to start June on a positive note. Start time for the series opener against the Mets is 7:10 pm PT.