After ending their win streak on Tuesday night, the San Diego Padres got back in the win column quickly. They stomped the Colorado Rockies with a 9-3 victory. Different from their previous wins, their damage didn’t all come in one big inning. Instead, the Friars scored two in the first, one in the second and fourth, four in the fifth and one in the sixth inning.
It was an all-around performance from the offense, backed by a solid performance from starter Robbie Ray and a resurgent effort from the bullpen.
San Diego will go for the series win in Game 4 this afternoon. With their win tonight, and the Arizona Diamondbacks’ loss, they now are in full control of their playoff destiny. The Friars are 3.5 games ahead of the Dbacks and just behind the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs.
Taking the mound
Tanner Gordon (COL) v. Michael King (SD)
Gordon has pitched decently for the Rockies this season. He’s made 22 appearances (10 starts) with a 5.55 ERA. In his last two starts (8.2 IP), he surrendered nine earned runs. The Padres have tagged Colorado’s starters for 20 runs through the first three games of the series. It seems unlikely that stops in Game 4 against a pitcher of Gordon’s caliber.
That being said, the Padres’ lineup hasn’t faced Gordon much. Only two batters (Jake Cronenworth and Freddy Fermin) have more than five at-bats against him. In that time, the two have combined to go 4-for-13. The hottest hitter has been Manny Machado, who owns a career .400 batting average and 2.171 OPS against the right-hander.
Every time King steps on the mound, it feels almost guaranteed that he’ll pitch a gem. Even when he doesn’t perform up to par with his insanely high standards, King still manages to get outs. He’s dangerously close to a sub-3.00 ERA this season (3.03 ERA through 175 innings).
The problem is that this is Coors Field, the land where anything happens. The Padres have seen many a game that seemed winnable dwindle before their eyes in Colorado. Hopefully, King will be able to beat the altitude and make his pitches work despite the harsh conditions.
Batter up!
The offense surged back in Game 3 against Colorado. The Padres scored nine runs, with three due to rookie catcher Ethan Salas having a two-homer performance. He clubbed his first home run, a solo shot, in the second inning before swatting another in the fifth.
- Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
- Dustin Harris, LF
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Ty France, 1B
- Jackson Merrill, DH
- Luis Campusano, C
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Samad Taylor, CF
- Jake Cronenworth, 2B
Tatis had a DH day yesterday for the first time in a while. It’s possible that Merrill is the next to receive one. He hasn’t had any kind of rest in quite some time and could DH. That would put either Harris or Taylor in center. It’s also possible the Padres wait to do so until they go back to Petco Park (a stadium with a much smaller center field).
Relief corps
Ray pitched a solid six innings, surrendering three runs on two walks and three hits. Ray rebounded in this start after struggling in his last two starts. David Morgan and Yuki Matsui covered the final three frames. Apart from one hit, Morgan was perfect. Matsui struggled to find the zone after recording two outs, but eventually he closed the door on the Rox.
That leaves the Friars with a wealth of arms for the series finale. San Diego will have Griffin Canning, Kyle Hart, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, Wandy Peralta, Bradgley Rodriguez and Randy Vásquez available. That leaves the Padres with options should King stumble early.
