Series Preview: Diamondbacks vs Padres

Arizona Diamondbacks (82-58) vs San Diego Padres (63-78)

I greatly look forward to the articles breaking down the current win streak by the numbers. What a run, 2+ weeks without losing a baseball game. The streak is all the more enjoyable when accompanied by the atrocious play of the Dodgers. In case anybody was wondering, if the D-Backs win out they will have won 104 games. Only 18 more to go! :-)

The Padres are on pace to win 71 games, a tad better than expected. Their best hitter so far has been Jose Pirela, and wait, you haven’t heard of Jose Pirela? You call yourself a baseball fan. He played in the Yankees farm system for eight years before making it to The Show in 2014. The 27-year-old has a triple slash of .292/.353/.498 in 73 games this season. Unfortunately for the Padres, there’s a whole pile of meh behind Pirela. Wil Myers is the only other player with an OPS+ above 100, coming in at 103. As a whole, the Padres have an on-base percentage of .299, which is, uh, not too good. That figure is good for last place, 10 points behind the Giants. Never be behind the Giants.

More information will be given about the starting pitching below, but if you want the short version, here it is: the rotation has not been great, but here is a list of Padres pitchers with 10 or more starts this year:

Clayton Richard (28)

Jhoulys Chacin (28)

Luis Perdomo (25)

Dinelson Lamet (18)

Trevor Cahill (11)

This looks like a list where I’d say “quick, spot the fake name!” Nope. These are all real people. Even Dinelson Lamet.

Injury Report

The most notable injury for the D-Backs is Paul Goldschmidt. He has not played for the last 4 days with elbow inflammation, but is expected to be in the starting lineup this series. Elsewhere, Randall Delgado is currently rehabbing in Hillsboro, while Chris Owings is unavailable until September 29.

Nothing new or notable on the injury front for San Diego.

Probable Pitchers

Game 1: Patrick Corbin LHP (13-11, 3.83 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) vs Jordan Lyles RHP (0-2, 6.71 ERA, 1.63 WHIP)

The story of Patrick Corbin’s 2017 season is best told through AZSnakepit tweets:

March 20

Patrick Corbin and Shelby Miller may have both clinched rotation spots this Spring

May 28

With Patrick Corbin’s ERA now above five, should we discuss our starting pitching options?

July 21

Patrick Corbin has rebounded in a big way?

August 12

Patrick Corbin hasn’t been the pitcher we wanted this year. But, tonight, he was the pitcher we NEEDED...

In his last five starts, Corbin has allowed only 3 runs, and has an ERA of 0.44. Not bad.

After posting a 6.94 ERA in 33 appearances out of the bullpen with Colorado, Lyles was DFA’d by the Rockies on July 29. The Padres signed him to a minor league deal a few days later, and brought the 26-year-old up to the big league rotation at the beginning of September. Lyles induces a whole lot of ground balls, with 52% of the balls in play against him staying on the ground. Judging by his career ERA of 5.29, this strategy has not worked too well. Huge advantage to the D-Backs.

Game 2: Zack Godley RHP (7-7, 3.21 ERA, 1.13 WHIP) vs Jhoulys Chacin RHP (12-10, 3.96 ERA, 1.27 WHIP)

Godley has declined from ace-level to mid-rotation-level, which is perfectly fine. In his last 6 starts, Zack has an ERA of 4.15. I will not give you another 50 words on how Godley has been okay, and instead move on to Chacin.

If you stuck with the D-Backs through the 2015 campaign, you got to see Chacin start a couple games in that beautiful Sedona Red toward the end of the season. Woo. I’ve got a fun split for you: at home, Chacin has an ERA of 1.91. On the road, the ERA leaps to 6.96. Advantage D-Backs.

Game 3: Robbie Ray LHP (12-5, 2.80 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) vs Luis Perdomo RHP (7-9, 4.62 ERA, 1.52 WHIP)

Robbie has dispelled any worries of him being ineffective after returning from his head injury. The lefty has allowed only 2 runs since coming back, including perhaps the best start of the season on Monday against the Dodgers. Ray pitched into the 8th inning, and fanned a career-high 14 batters. Of course, Ray’s performance was overshadowed by J.D. Martinez’s 4 homer game in the 13-0 beatdown.

Perdomo has been mightily consistent in giving his team innings lately, pitching at least 6 frames in each of his last 9 starts. The D-Backs should be able to end that streak, since they have completely crushed Perdomo this season. In 2 starts (7 innings) against Arizona this year, the right-hander has allowed 13 runs. Big advantage to Arizona.

Prediction

Come on. Give me that D-Backs sweep.