Padres Preview: Luis Perdomo vs. Zack Greinke & the Arizona Diamondbacks

Now we know that Dinelson Lamet is human. He’s susceptible to the same kinds of blowup innings that have afflicted most of the Padres rotation. For a rookie who was called up out of necessity, it could be a struggle from which he can build. Maybe he can lean on another youngster on the staff who has been hardened, quenched, and tempered in the heat of MLB service time. Luis Perdomo was roughed up early and often last year, and by the end of the season he had settled in as a legitimate MLB starter. Lamet can follow Perdomo’s lead and learn how to handle these rough outings and still bounce back strong.

After a string of rough outings of his own, Luis Perdomo turned in a gem in his most recent start. Against the Chicago Cubs on May 31st, he pitched seven strong innings, only giving up one earned run on three hits and one walk. The Diamondbacks’ lineup has been much more productive than the Cubs this year, but a performance like that against the reigning world champs is impressive nonetheless. Among pitchers with 30 or more innings pitched, only Alex Wood and Dallas Keuchel have higher groundball rates than Perdomo. With the hot, dry Arizona air and the huge outfield at Chase Field, keeping the ball out of the air may be just what the doctor ordered.

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Zack Greinke is starting to look like the guy the Diamondbacks thought they were buying when they signed him to a $206M contract before the 2016 season. His strikeouts are up, his walks are down, and he’s keeping the ball in the park. Maybe it’s partly due to a change in catcher. Maybe it’s because the cerebral pitcher is actually becoming a better pitcher as his velocity starts to age. Whatever it is, he’s been dominant at times, and much of it is thanks to the kind of slider that gives Padres hitters fits. He’s given up four or more runs in three of his twelve starts, so there’s hope, but they’ll need to be able to recognize that breaking pitch and lay off of it.

It’s going to be another warm night in the cozy confines of Chase Field, so the ball will jump. The Padres will need to run into a few to stay in this one. Can they? Tune in to find out!

Start time: 6:40PM PDT
Radio: 94.9FM, 860AM (Español)
TV: Fox Sports San Diego
Online: MLB.TV