At this very moment, every team in the NL West has either 22 wins or 22 losses. Tonight the Padres, owner of 22 wins, hosts the Colorado Rockies, owner of 22 losses and currently co-leader of the division. The Padres are riding high, coming off a surprising sweep of the World Champ Cubs, while the Rockies just lost three of four against the Mariners.
Clayton Richard has easily been the Padres’ most consistent pitcher. He’s gone at least five innings into each of his starts but one. He’s held opponents to three earned runs or less in six of his eleven starts, including the last two. It’s also worth noting that he’s been stronger at home, posting a 3.22 K:BB rate in Petco versus 2.10 elsewhere. Standing in his way is a Rockies offense that has quite a bit of success in the past against him: Nolan Arenado, Ian Desmond, Gerardo Parra, and Mark Reynolds all hold career batting averages of .333 or better against Richard.
German Marquez is enjoying some success in his first extended stint in the majors, and he’s gotten better as the season has broken in. In his last four starts, he has a 1.46 ERA with a 4-0 record. The Venezuelan righty is essentially a two-pitch pitcher, with a mid- to high-90’s heater and a curveball that he uses over 20% of the time. He also has a changeup and a slider that he’ll use sparingly. He doesn’t strike batters out at a remarkable rate, he doesn’t minimize walks exceptionally well, but he’s been able to avoid the big inning so far. Maybe the Padres can find his Achilles’ heel and hang a big number on him.
There’s a party at the Park in the Park before the game, so go pregame with the socialites if that’s your thing, and if it’s not, be prepared for some saucy swerves in the concourses. Don’t let that distract you from what should be a good game where the Padres can play spoiler against our old friends Bud Black and Alexi Amarista!
Start time: 7:10PM PDT
Radio: 94.9FM, 860AM (Español)
TV: Fox Sports San Diego, Fox Deportes San Diego
Online: MLB.TV