It was rough going for a moment there.
The San Diego Padres bounced back late for a 10-8 win over the Colorado Rockies Thursday afternoon. In what felt like a gruelingly long game, the Friars continued to stay within striking distance but couldn’t seem to get ahead of the Rox.
They finally did with three outs left. Rockies reliever Victor Vodnik struggled to record an out, walking Jackson Merrill to start the ninth before giving up three consecutive singles and a three-run blast from Gavin Sheets that
just stayed fair.
It was a win the Friars needed. One that proved their bats are still alive after a week of them being peculiarly quiet. They’ll need that slug this weekend as they face the Arizona Diamondbacks in Mexico City tonight.
Taking the mound
Zac Gallen (AZ) v. Germán Márquez (SD)
It was probably never that close, but it felt like Gallen was close to being a Padre this offseason.
After being the subject of a prolonged free agency, he ended up re-signing with Arizona on a one-year deal. He’s pitched serviceably to start the year but has struggled with command (3.51 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 25.2 IP).
In the high-altitude, hitter-friendly environs of Mexico City — a stadium that last saw the Padres face the San Francisco Giants in an 11-homer tirade — Gallen will need to have his command locked down. Otherwise, it’ll quickly turn into a slugfest for San Diego.
The same is true for Márquez, though his statline suggests a worse pitcher than he has been. He’s yet to record consecutive quality outings, going back-and-forth between giving up four runs and pitching a scoreless game.
That’s been the problem for Márquez so far this year: consistency. When he’s on, he’s on. But when he’s not? He’s really not.
He pitched 5 2/3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels last week and only allowed two hits. The Friar Faithful hope that he can follow that performance tonight against the D-backs.
Batter up!
The starters will be out with the off day yesterday giving everyone a breather. That has the lineup looking like this:
- Ramón Laureano, LF
- Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
- Jackson Merrill, CF
- Manny Machado, 3B
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Gavin Sheets, 1B
- Ty France, DH
- Luis Campusano, C
- Jake Cronenworth, 2B
Gallen is a tough starter to face, but the Padres have one thing over him: they’ve faced him a lot.
That being said, certain players have had more success than others. Bogaerts, Cronenworth, France and Gavin Sheets all have a batting average over .300 against him. France, Sheets and Fernando Tatis Jr. have an OPS over 1.000 when facing the right-hander.
Those career numbers are why France might start at DH today, though Miguel Andujar could as well after his bat heated up in Colorado.
Those are names to watch for, with Cronenworth having an especially slow start to the year at the plate. He’ll look to get things going today against Gallen.
Relief corps
Starter Matt Waldron did not do much to help his case for a roster spot, giving up six runs in Thursday’s series finale against Colorado. (The signing of free agent Lucas Giolito could not have come soon enough.) But he did go five full innings, so the bullpen can at least be thankful for that.
The Padres used Adrian Morejon, Ron Marinaccio and Mason Miller to cover the final four frames. Miller extended his scoreless streak to tie the franchise record at 33 2/3. He’ll look to extend it against Arizona this weekend.
But, with the off day yesterday, it’ll likely be all-hands-on-deck for the Friars. That being said, the first out of the ‘pen would be those who didn’t pitch on Thursday. That leaves Jason Adam, Kyle Hart, David Morgan, Wandy Peralta and Bradgley Rodriguez.
If Márquez falters, then expect Hart or Peralta out first to cover multiple innings. But if San Diego has a lead and Márquez makes it through five or six frames, the high-leverage guys will be out in full force.
