The San Diego Padres have a chance to even their series against Atlanta at 2-2, but the pitching matchup is tough.
The San Diego Padres have been in some tough battles with the Atlanta Braves this week, and they’ll get one last chance to even their four-game series at 2-2 when they play an afternoon getaway-day game in Atlanta.
The Padres will send Griffin Canning to the moung against Chris Sale for Atlanta, which is a serious mismatch on paper for San Diego. They’re catching Sale on a roll, too, as he’s given up just four earned runs in his last five outings, so this one could be tough sledding for the Padres.
Canning doesn’t offer much promise, unfortunately. He’s struggled mightily for the Padres, with a 1-8 record overall to go with a 6.67 ERA. He had a short start last time out against the Kansas City Royals as well, as he gave up four earned runs in 3-2/3 innings in KC last Saturday.
The bullpen has been stretched thin lately, too, so this could be one of those games where Canning has to take one for the team if he experiences serious struggles. They’re down several relievers and have been shuffling bodies and roles recently, with the latest being reliever Ron Marinaccio being designated for assignment as Randy Vasquez returned as a reliever after suffering health and injury issues.
The good news for the Padres is that they have been hitting lately, with several of their important power bats coming alive in recent games. Jackson Merrill is the player to watch at the plate, as he’s had four home runs in his last four games, and Fernando Tatis Jr. hit the longest home run of the season at 474 feet earlier in the season.
Manny Machado has been getting in on the act lately as well. Machado’s two-homer game on Tuesday gave him a total of 22 for the season, although his average continues to hover just above the Mendoza line at .202.
This is another game the Padres need badly, but we keep saying that and the response has been intermittent. The Padres are simply outmatched in nearly every game due to their poor rotation, and even the wins have been an uphill battle lately.
San Diego is still just three games out in the wild card race, but most of the buzz lately has been about their role as prospective sellers with the Aug. 3 trade deadline fast approaching. The Padres have reportedly been actively discussing a trade involving reliever Wandy Peralta, and the reports of a trade involving All-Star closer Mason Miller have been gaining traction as well.
