Padres Preview: Jhoulys Chacin vs. Amir Garrett & the Cincinnati Reds

Baseball sure can be fun to watch, and last night was a gem. Clayton Richard nearly got the complete game shutout, Franchy Cordero showed some impressive pop, and the Friars secured a series win. Another win today would mean a sweep of the Cincinatti Reds, the ideal way end a homestand.

Jhoulys Chacin is coming off of two pretty good starts, going six or more innings in each. He’s minimized the damage in most of his starts, giving up three or less earned runs in all but three of his thirteen starts. His ERA is slowly creeping down, approaching the FIP and xFIP numbers that suggest that he’s been a little unlucky this season. Richard’s near-shutout performance saved the bullpen, so some more arms are available today, but even with a travel day coming, they’d prefer to keep those arms fresh. The Reds have some hot-hitting lefties in their lineup, and Chacin has struggled against lefties this year, so Andy Green might be inclined to swap in a reliever if a tough situation should present itself.

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Amir Garrett is in his rookie season, and he’s going through some growing pains. He’s been roughed up for six earned runs or more in three of his last four starts. While he’s limited the walks and even the hits, he’s been prone to the long ball, which plays right into the Padres’ hand. Several Padres hitters have been swinging a hot bat lately, particularly Jose Pirela, Cory Spangenberg, and Franchy Cordero. Garrett is a lefty, which would suggest that Spangenberg and Cordero may be at a disadvantage, so let’s hope that today is the day that Wil Myers, Hunter Renfroe, and Austin Hedges get to show off their muscle. Expect to see a heavy dose of fastballs today, which he can pump up to the upper 90’s, with some sliders and changeups mixed in to keep hitters off balance. The secondary pitches are still developing, so if he struggles with command the Padres hitters should capitalize. MinorLeagueBall’s Wayne Cavadi did a nice writeup of Garrett before the season started. He’s a big, athletic kid who can apparently throw down some vicious slam dunks. Today, I’d rather see our athletic kids slam some dingers.

It’s a beautiful, warm day in San Diego, so slather on some sunscreen and come out to root for your Padres! I’ll be at the game, I hope to see you there too!

Start time: 12:40PM PDT
Radio: 94.9FM, 860AM (Español)
TV: Fox Sports San Diego, Fox Deportes San Diego
Online: MLB.TV