:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/55148695/usa-today-10094367.0.jpg)
And tonight's dubious San Diego Padres name: Franchy Cordero. Yes: not "Frenchy", but Franchy. I have no clue where that name comes from. Except, obviously, the Dominican Republic, where they do seem to have a fondness for interesting names, e.g. Welington with one L, and Jeferson with one F.
Zack Greinke has owned the Padres. In 18 career starts against them, he has only lost on two occasions, and has an ERA of 1.93 ERA over those 121 IP against San Diego. It's the fourth best ERA of any active pitcher against a team, with at least a hundred innings. Here are the top six.
- Adam Wainwright vs. HOU - 1.48
- Clayton Kershaw vs. SF - 1.61
- Jered Weaver vs. CWS - 1.89
- Zack Greinke vs. SD - 1.93
- Cole Hamels vs. CIN - 1.93
- Felix Hernandez vs. TB - 1.94
He has seen them twice this season - losing a 1-0 decision at Petco, but bouncing back five days later to get the W with six innings of one-run ball. He has an ERA this year of 1.29, with a K:BB of 17:1. So I'm optimistic the D-backs will continue their early season domination of San Diego. We're currently 7-4 against them, which is better than the Rockies (5-4), but not as good as the Dodgers (5-1). In the dogfight which is the three-way battle for the West, it could end up coming down to who beats up on the Padres most.
Probably best if Greinke does not allow too many runs, given a starting line-up which has both Fuentes and Mathis in it, with their OPS+'s of 16 and 27 respectively. Hey, at least Fuentes's figure no longer starts with a negative sign. But even Drury has been in a slump of late: since May 15, he has hit .215 with one home-run and a K:BB of 17:3. Something to keep an eye on going forward, perhaps.