Padres Preview 08/25: Travis Wood vs. Adam Conley as Player’s Weekend kicks off

Do not adjust your TV sets this weekend: things on the diamond are going to look a lot brighter than you’re used to.

The Padres will send Travis Wood to the hill in the first game of Player’s Weekend against Adam Conley and the Florida Miami Marlins. Woody - that’s the name that’ll be on his jersey, stifle your chuckle - has performed a touch over expectations for the Padres despite posting a career-high ERA (3-4, 5.81 ERA). In his last outings Travis held the Phils to two runs in five innings of work and only a single unearned run over seven innings against Washington. Wood’s road stats, however, aren’t as pretty: he’s allowed ten runs in ten innings away from Petco. In ten career starts against the Fish, Travis sports a 1-3 record with a 7.92 ERA. The former Royal will try to keep the Friars from losing the season series against the Marlins after Miami took two of three in San Diego in April.

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Taking the ball for the Marlins is Adam Conley, who is not having a good season at all (6-5, 4.93 ERA). Conley is having the worst season of his three-year career thanks to a career-low strikeout rate and a 10.2% home-run-per-fly-ball rate. Oddly enough and despite the stats Conley had quite the game in his last start, striking out eleven against the hapless Mets. This was after a start where he failed to strike out anyone in San Francisco. Which version of Adam Conley the Padres will face is the question: the 7.93 ERA in his first 7 starts Adam, or the Adam with a 1.13 ERA in two appearances against the Padres?

Regardless of the pitching, fans on both sides will tune in to watch home run machine Giancarlo Stanton, he of the MLB-leading 47 dongers. The 63-63 Marlins just climbed back to .500 ball and are optimistic on a wild card berth having come back from their road trip 5 1/2 games back and looking up at NL West rivals Arizona and Colorado.

The Padres will try to keep the bats going against a vulnerable Conley. Carlos Asuaje has been turning it on lately (3 hits and a RBI last night) and played locally in Miami at Nova Southeastern University. Margot enjoyed a 3-hit night in the leadoff spot. Jose Pirela is hitting .295 and is making a strong case to be part of the Padres future youth movement.

The series over-under on Giancarlo Stanton’s home runs is 4. Tonight’s first pitch from South Beach is slated for 4:10 PM Left Coast Time. Congrats! You made it to Friday!

Game Time: 4:10 PM PST
TV: FSSD, Fox Sports Deportes (Spanish)
Radio: 94.9 FM, XEMO 860 (Español)