Diamondbacks series preview vs the falling Padres
By Jake Oliver
The Arizona Diamondbacks are back home against the San Diego Padres
The Arizona Diamondbacks come back home after a miserable road trip. They went 3-7 on the road trip through Colorado, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. The bullpen struggled, the offense wasn’t consistent, and the starting pitching struggled at times. Add it all up and it’s no surprise the Dbacks only won 3 games. Coincidentally, each win occurred in a different series.
Despite the negatives, there were some positives to be found. Christian Walker continued to get hot by hitting .310, .412, .517 with a .929 OPS. He contributed 9 hits, including 2 HRs, 6 RBI’s, and 5 walks.
Plus, Ketel Marte IS BACK! He’s on a 10-game hitting streak and crushing the ball.
Ketel Marte’s on a 10-game hitting streak, in which he’s batting .389/.450/.722 (1.172 OPS).
— D-backs facts & stats (@dbaxfax) August 30, 2021
It’s his second double-digit hitting streak of the season. His career-high is 12 games, which was in his rookie year with the Mariners in 2015.
Also, Jake McCarthy got called up to make his MLB debut. He had a terrific game Sunday by getting his first hit, RBI, and Outfield Assist. Daulton continued his power-hitting ways with 3 HRs, 1 triple, and 6 RBI’s on the road trip. Congratulations Jake!
Thus, the only thing we can do is to push forward. The Diamondbacks can royally affect the Padres playoff chances in these next three games. The Padres are currently chasing the Reds by 1.5 games. They have gone 2-8 in their past 10 games. San Diego’s record is 69-62. Whereas the Diamondbacks enter play with a dismal 44-88. They have the 2nd worst record in the MLB.
The onus on the Diamondbacks will be to play spoiler once again. If they take 2/3 against the Padres, that might cripple them. The Padres are a confident team with Tatis Jr. leading them. However, since Tatis Jr. returned from the IL on August 15th, he’s played rather poorly. He’s barely above the Mendoza line as his batting line is .200, .286, .520, with 4 HRs, 8 RBIs, 4 walks, and 17 K’s. If the Padres want any chance of making it to the playoffs, they need Tatis Jr. to get healthy and productive.
The Matchups for this series
Monday, 08/30 @Chase Field 6:40 PM AZtime
Tyler Gilbert v Chris Paddack
Tyler Gilbert is facing the Padres for the second time in his career. I think we can all remember the first but if you can’t, here’s a review of the game. Can he repeat magic? He’s been hittable since that magical day. He’s currently 1-1, 9 walks, 16 K’s, 2.38 ERA in 22.2 innings.
Chris Paddack has struggled a lot this year. He’s getting activated off the IL Monday to make this start. He hasn’t pitched since July 27th. It will be interesting to see if he has any rust. His season hasn’t been one to remember. His stat line is 7-6, 20 walks, 90 K’s, and a 5.13 ERA in only 93 innings this season.
Carson Kelly has 4 hits off Paddack in his career. Ketel Marte has 7 hits off Paddack. Nick Ahmed has 5 hits and Walker has 3 hits off Paddack in their careers.