Friday afternoon, the Padres will start a 3-game series with the Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The fourth-place San Diego Padres (38-37) are on a 4-game win streak coming into the series and average 8.3 runs scored and 8.0 runs against in the past 7 games. Meanwhile, the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates are 3-9 in their last 12 games, in which they have averaged 5.3 runs scored and 6.2 runs against. Both pitching staffs have struggled lately, and now play in a very hitter-friendly ballpark.
Friday, June 21, 4:05 PM
LHP Eric Lauer (5-6, 4.60) vs RHP Joe Musgrove (4-7, 4.87)
On Friday, Padres’ second-year southpaw Eric Lauer will get the ball. Lauer has not had much success since the calendar turned to June. He has a 5.17 ERA in 3 starts. His most recent start, against the Colorado Rockies at Coors, was his worst of the season so far. He gave up 5 earned runs in 2 ⅔ innings. Lauer gave up 10 hits and walked two hitters. In Lauer’s first game of the season against Pittsburgh, he threw 5 ⅔ innings of two-run ball. Eric Lauer will look to turn around the month as he will likely make two more starts in the month of June.
This season, Musgrove pitched well in his first 6 starts, holding onto a 1.54 earned run average with a 0.89 walks plus hits per innings pitched (WHIP). However, Musgrove has fallen since then, carrying a 7.53 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. His 39.8 hard hit % and 89.4 exit velocity is the highest of his career, while his 18.4% strikeout rate is the lowest it has been.
Saturday, June 22, 1:05 PM
RHP Chris Paddack vs RHP Chris Archer (3-6, 5.85)
Chris Paddack will return to the starting rotation on Saturday in Pittsburgh. He was optioned to Lake Elsinore on June 12th as an attempt to rest his arm. Paddack enters the series with at 65 ⅔ innings. The most innings he has pitched in a single season in professional baseball is 90, last year. The young rookie’s most recent outing came on June 11th when he gave up 3 runs in 5 innings at Oracle Park. He holds a 3.15 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP in 12 starts so far in 2019. Paddack will try to bounce back from his past 3 outings in which he has given up 12 earned runs in 14 ⅓ innings.
Since being traded from Tampa to Pittsburgh, Chris Archer has struggled mightily. Archer’s quality starts have decreased from 12 last year to just 3 in about half the starts. His ERA has also increased from 4.31 last season to 5.85 so far this year. At home, Archer has a 4.15 ERA and will hope to lower that number against the Padres at PNC Park.
Sunday, June 23, 10:35 AM
LHP Joey Lucchesi (6-4, 3.74) vs LHP Steven Brault (3-1, 4.40)
The Padres’ no. 2 starter, Joey Lucchesi, is coming off a start to remember when he shutout the Milwaukee Brewers’ lineup for 7 innings. The young southpaw has pitched fabulously in his second year in the majors. He holds a respectable 3.74 earned run average in 14 starts. Since an awful 5.96 ERA in the month of April, Lucchesi has a 2.97 mark in May and 3.00 so far in June. Joey Lucchesi will try to keep it going with a start against the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates.
Steven Brault, a 4-year veteran, will get the start for the Pirates in Sunday’s series finale. Brault is pitching a 4.40 earned run average and 40 strikeouts in 12 starts. Despite having his best ERA in his career, Brault still has a .274 opponent’s batting average, 4 points above his career average. His 1.55 walks plus hits per innings pitched is 5 points below his career average.
