Preview, #48: 5/20 @ Padres

Yeah, by dinner-time on Wednesday, we’ll have completed ten games against the Padres, getting the bulk of our season’s contests against them out of the way, with more than a week left in May. We won’t then see San Diego again until September, facing them nine more times down the stretch, in the final 25 games. I know the schedule makers want to have a lot of match-ups within a division down the stretch, but it still seems like a weirdly skewed schedule. So far, the Padres have the edge against the D-backs, 4-3, with both series having gone against home-field advantage. We took two of three at Petco at the start of April, but they then took three of four when they came to Phoenix, a week later.

One of those defeats was pinned on tonight’s starter, Luke Weaver. Though he can certainly claim to be hard-done by, having pitched 6.1 innings of two-run ball, only for the offence to give him only one run in support. Tonight is actually a rematch of that contest, with Chris Paddack - I keep wanting to throw an o into his name - getting a no-decision there, allowing one run over his 5.1 innings. Since then, Paddack has mostly been very solid, with four consecutive quality starts, before the wheels fell off against the Reds last time. He lasted only 4.2 frames, being charged with six runs and getting the L, though in his defense, half of those were unearned.

Weaver also lost his last start, against the Pirates, and the same Pittsburgh team took three of four from San Diego, while we were dropping our series to the Giants. So both sides in this series will be looking to rebound, and keep the Dodgers in sight. Right now, Los Angeles has a 5¹⁄₂ game lead, behind only the Astros in terms of size. Sure they’ll be happy for the second- and third-placed teams in the division to slit each other’s throats in this one.