Diamondbacks vs Padres game 1 preview
Diamondbacks vs Padres game 1 preview
Despite getting absolutely crushed by the Cardinals (14-5) in the series finale Wednesday afternoon, Arizona has to feel good about the way they played in St. Louis. Taking 2 out of 3 from the Cardinals at Busch Stadium is never an easy feat so pats on the back should be given to all the D-backs players, except for Madison Bumgarner.
Bumgarner, to nobody’s surprise, got shelled in his 4th start of the season. In 3 innings of work, he gave up 7 hits, 4 walks, and 7 earned runs. His ERA is now over 10 and the Diamondbacks have lost 3 out of the 4 games he has started. Yikes!
But hey, let’s look at the positives. Alek Thomas hit his first long ball of the year, Ketel Marte had another multi-hit game, and Corbin Carroll got on base 4 times. It is crazy that Arizona only scored 5 runs because they racked up 11 hits and 3 walks. As I have said before, baseball is weird.
Home sweet home! The Diamondbacks will be right back at it tonight against the Padres. Tonight will be game 1 of a huge 4-game home series; the first pitch will be at 6:40 PM MST. This showdown will be aired on Bally Sports Arizona Extra, Bally Sports San Diego, and MLB Network. If you can’t watch the game, you can listen to it on ESPN Phoenix 620, KHOV Univision 105.1, or XEMO 860.
Diamondbacks vs Padres game 1 pitching matchup
For your beloved Diamondbacks, righty Ryne Nelson will get the ball to start the game. Nelson has been fantastic so far this season. In 3 starts, Nelson is 1-0 with a 3.71 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He has gone at least 5 innings in every start, and in his last start (which was his best) he went 6 innings and allowed 0 walks and 1 run.
Nelson faced the Padres in his first start of the season and gave up 3 runs over 5 innings. The Padres offense hasn’t been great on the road so far this season (.717 OPS) so Nelson should be in attack mode tonight.
For the Friars, veteran righty Michael Wacha gets the nod. In 3 starts this season, Wacha is 2-1 with a 6.06 ERA. At home, Wacha has been horrible this year (11 earned runs in 10.1 innings). In his one and only road start, however, he pitched 6 scoreless innings and struck out 10.
Wacha had a very good season with the Red Sox last year. He went 11-2 with a 3.32 ERA, thus why the Padres gave him a good sum of money to sign with them. He was much better at home last year than he was on the road, however. In 13 road starts in 2022, his ERA was close to 4.
Arizona’s offense has been lethal at home this season (.841 OPS) so Wacha will have to be cautious not to leave any pitches out over the plate.
Diamondbacks vs Padres game 1: Players to watch
For the D-backs, Josh Rojas has been lights out at home this season. In 24 at-bats, he has 11 hits, 4 RBIs, 4 runs, and an OBP of .500. Rojas has been a crucial part of Arizona’s offensive success this season, especially at Chase Field.
Also worth mentioning is that Rojas is currently tied with his teammate Christian Walker as the best fielder in all of baseball (OAA of 4).
For the Padres, it’s the return of El Nino that will have all eyes watching tonight. After missing the entire 2022 season due to a suspension, Fernando Tatis Jr. will once again be suiting up for the Padres.
In 273 career games, Fernando has an OPS of .965 and is widely considered to be one of the best young stars in the game. A lineup with Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, Xander Bogartes, and Manny Machado is scary to think about.
Unfortunately for the D-backs, that thought might become a reality tonight in Phoenix.
Diamondbacks lineup
- Rojas 3B 🔥
- Gurriel Jr. DH
- Carroll LF
- Walker 1B
- McCarthy RF
- Moreno C
- Thomas CF
- Ahmed SS
- Perdomo 2B
Padres probable lineup
- Tatis Jr. RF 🔥
- Machado 3B
- Soto LF
- Bogaerts SS
- Carpenter DH
- Cronenworth 1B
- Grisham CF
- Kim 2B
- Nola C