The Padres will travel to Miami on Tuesday to take on the Marlins in a 3 game series on the road. This series will be circled on the schedule for all Padres fans. Coming off back-to back series’ against division leaders, the Padres will hope to have much more success. Miami is 34-57 this season, and feels like a breath of fresh air for fans of San Diego to play against a team that won’t get a free pass to the NLDS. Miami has struggled to put runs on the board as a team this season, and is still in a rebuilding stage of their franchise.
For San Diego, this series feels like a required win. After getting swept at home for the second straight home series, there feels like next to no room for error at this point. There are currently four teams in the Wild Card race ahead of the Padres that are not in a Wild card spot. San Diego would be considered the horse at the seven post in this Wild Card race.
What will it take for San Diego to make the postseason? It will take beating the teams that are 20 games below .500. At this point, it is widely accepted by the Friar faithful that a series loss against Miami, with the Cubs series looming in the on deck circle, could be a knockout blow to this team’s postseason chances. It is not too late for the Padres playoff chances! It is not panic button time, either. The Padres, though, need to take care of business against opponents with a record below .500.
The Marlins have been a very below average baseball team at home, even by their own standards. While they are currently 23 games below .500, 15 of those are due in part to a 16-31 record at home. A home loss on Tuesday would mean that the Marlins have lost twice as many games at home than they have won. Needless to say, the Marlins are a beatable team, and a great place to start for an awesome playoff push from San Diego. Miami will be hoping for one of the biggest comeback stories in sports, being 12.5 games out of a Wild Card spot with 71 games left.
Tuesday, July 16th, 4:10 PM PST
Logan Allen (2-1, 4.50) vs Jordan Yamamoto (3-0, 1.24)
Logan Allen is scheduled to be back on the mound for the Tuesday matchup for the first time since his July Fourth relief appearance. Allen got virtually shelled in his last start, and is trying to repeat a type of performance he had in his first two starts. With only four total appearances under his belt, Allen is trying to move his rookie campaign in a positive direction, and make this a year to remember. A good start on Tuesday could mean some much needed momentum for San Diego. Logan will go out, trust his stuff, and try to bring home a much needed win.
Jordan Yamamoto is one of the great young pitching prospects to come out of Hawaii in recent years. In five starts, he has been nothing short of amazing for Miami. His first two Major League starts back in early June were both against St. Louis, and he had matching 7 inning scoreless performances. Jordan will certainly be a player to watch for this series, as he has been slicing through the lineups he’s seen. Yamamoto’s last start ended in a 1-0 loss for Miami in Atlanta, but he went 6 innings giving up no runs. Jordan is an example of a spot of optimism for Miami fans, and you better believe adrenaline will be pumping Tuesday between two fiery first year starters.
Wednesday, July 17th, 4:10 PM PST
Chris Paddack (5-4, 2.84) vs Trevor Richards (3-10, 4.18)
Chris Paddack has been rolling for San Diego in his first 15 career starts. The National League Rookie of the Year candidate had a solid bounce back performance against the Dodgers on Fourth of July weekend. After being shaken up previously this year in Dodger Stadium, he bounced back with 5 ⅔ innings pitched surrendering no runs on one walk, and only 3 hits. Paddack is feeling very hot at the moment, and is currently enjoying his stay in Miami on his off day. He will be ready to go for this huge Wednesday start to try to get the Padres’ momentum going again.
Trevor Richards has been another solid pitcher for the Marlins, but a victim of circumstance as his record has suffered due to lack of offense from his team. He has been worth 1.1 WAR in 18 starts, which is on pace for an above average year. Considering the lack of help from his team, and the fact that he is in his second full year at the age of 26, he has been a positive note for the Marlins. This start could really help his 2019 campaign and get closer to a better winning percentage.
Thursday, July 18th, 9:10 AM PST
Dinelson Lamet (0-2, 6.30) vs Caleb Smith (5-4, 3.46)
Dinelson Lamet is scheduled to take the hill at 9 AM Pacific time on Thursday. It will be one of those ‘third time’s a charm’ situations for Dinelson as he was unsuccessful in his first 2 starts of the season. Each start ending with 5 innings pitched, Lamet gave up 7 total earned runs taking a loss in each one. Bitten by the home run bug, he has given up 3 total in those starts. This third game will undoubtedly be a major one for the Padres season, and Lamet’s start will be paramount for the outcome of the series.
Caleb Smith is another starter for Miami who has been above league average to this point. His winning record on the mound has been important for Miami in winning games. Smith’s winning record seems rare for this struggling Miami team. In his last start, he hurled 6 innings giving up two earned runs, and getting the win over New York. His 3.46 ERA has been a part of a solid campaign for the Marlins, and his winning record could be in jeopardy on Thursday against this motivated Padres offense.
Players to Watch
The players to watch for San Diego are Chris Paddack and Dinelson Lamet. It may be surprising that two starting pitchers are the players to watch for San Diego, but starting pitching was lacking in the Atlanta series. The Padres need a positive performance out of Paddack on Wednesday. It could be a chance for the Padres to clinch a series win, or force a rubber match. Either way, the young gun will have a pep in his step while he takes on this Marlins lineup. Dinelson is a big player to watch because he keeps getting starts in the rotation, and hasn’t had a good outing in literally two years. His Tommy John surgery back in 2018 sidelined him for a season and a half, so Lamet is very much worth keeping an eye on to see if he will bounce back.
The Marlins players to watch for this series are Garrett Cooper and Jordan Yamamoto. Cooper, the Miami first baseman, is hitting .308 with 3 home runs in his last 7 games for the Fish. He has been a bright spot for the lineup, and will be looked upon to keep this offense moving heading into the week. Cooper’s production could be the difference for Miami to get into the Padres’ struggling bullpen. Last but not least, the second player to watch is Jordan Yamamoto. Not just because his name is fun to say, Jordan will be battling Allen on Tuesday in a very important matchup, and his performance will be major in the role of the week. His crazy good ERA of 1.24 in his 29 innings makes him a player to watch as he is only making his 6th major league appearance. Look for him to try to cut through this Padres lineup like butter on Hawaiian rolls.
