The San Diego Padres couldn't complete the weekend sweep of the Athletics over the weekend, losing 5-2 in the series finale Sunday.
The San Diego Padres are welcoming the Philadelphia Phillies to town on Memorial Day to begin a three-game set following a series victory over the Athletics this weekend.
The Padres won the first two games of its series versus the A’s but couldn’t complete the sweep after losing 5-2 in the series finale. Ace right-hander Michael King struggled out of the gate, allowing a leadoff home run to Athletics right fielder Carlos Cortes on the sixth pitch of the at-bat.
King gave up two in the second and one more in the fourth, finishing his day allowing four runs on five hits and four walks with four strikeouts. It was a rare bad outing for San Diego’s best starter, as his ERA rose from 2.31 to 2.76.
Luis Medina operated as an opener for the A’s and pitched 1.1 innings, allowing two hits while striking out one before giving way to lefty Jacob Lopez. Lopez earned the win after tossing 4.2 innings of one-run ball on six hits and one walk with three punchouts.
Right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. had a great day in the leadoff spot, going 3-for-5 with a double. He is still searching for his first home run of the season, but maybe that comes today against Phillies lefty Jesus Luzardo, who he is 4-for-10 off of in his career.
Luzardo hasn’t had his best stuff this season but is coming off two of his better starts and is 3-4 with a 4.85 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 66 strikeouts (tied-13th) in 10 starts (55.2 innings). He last faced the Cincinnati Reds and pitched six strong innings of two-run ball on five hits and two walks while fanning five but took the loss.
Despite the not-so-great season numbers, Luzardo has excellent stuff and appears to be trending in the right direction. He will take on the following Padres lineup:
1. Tatis (2B)
2. Miguel Andujar (DH)
3. Xander Bogaerts (SS)
4. Manny Machado (3B)
5. Jackson Merrill (CF)
6. Nick Castellanos (RF)
7. Ty France (1B)
8. Ramon Laureano (LF)
9. Rodolfo Duran (C)
Right-hander Randy Vasquez will take the bump for San Diego and he’s been great for the Padres. Vasquez is 5-2 with a 2.96 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 45 strikeouts through 10 starts (54.2 innings). He held his own against the Los Angeles Dodgers but took the loss after allowing three runs on six hits and three walks in 4.1 innings.
Vasquez has stepped up big for San Diego, especially considering how thin the starting rotation is. He will take on the following Phillies lineup:
1. Trea Turner (SS)
2. Kyle Schwarber (DH)
3. Bryce Harper (1B)
4. Alec Bohm (3B)
5. Brandon Marsh (LF)
6. Bryson Stott (2B)
7. Adolis Garcia (RF)
8. Justin Crawford (CF)
9. Rafael Marchan (C)
First pitch is at 3:40 p.m. PDT on ESPN Unlimited, MLB.TV and regional sports networks.
