Two groups coming off poor sequence on the plate will attempt to iron out their offensive woes at one another’s expense over the following 4 video games.
The San Diego Padres, needing wins to run down both the Los Angeles Dodgers or Chicago Cubs in an try to earn home-field benefit for the primary spherical of the Nationwide League playoffs, will host the Colorado Rockies within the sequence opener on Thursday evening.
San Diego (79-67) fell three video games behind first-place Los Angeles within the NL West with a 2-1 loss to Cincinnati on Wednesday. The Padres misplaced two of three video games to the Reds, who restricted them to fifteen hits within the sequence.
That was an explosive output in comparison with Colorado’s experiences in Los Angeles. The Rockies managed solely eight hits throughout a three-game sweep by the Dodgers that included a 9-0 loss within the sequence finale on Wednesday evening.
The Rockies (40-106) managed simply two hits off 5 Los Angeles pitchers and struck out 17 occasions within the recreation.
“They threw three actually good pitchers at us,” Colorado interim supervisor Warren Schaeffer mentioned. “This can be a powerful place to play. Total, it was a tricky sequence for us.”
Though the Rockies had been outscored 19-3 within the sequence, that is not as unhealthy as they did throughout their first journey to San Diego in April. Not solely did the Rockies undergo a sequence sweep, they had been shut out in all three video games.
They usually’ll need to face a pitcher within the sequence opener who has posted half of his wins in opposition to them this 12 months. Proper-hander Randy Vasquez (4-6, 3.91 ERA) earned a 10-8 victory over them on Saturday, allowing simply two earned runs in six innings off eight hits whereas putting out three.
It was the primary win for Vasquez since a 5-1 determination over the Los Angeles Angels on Could 14. He’s 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 5 profession encounters (all begins) vs. the Rockies.
The Padres will hope for an additional good outing from Vasquez whereas conjuring up some hits. Since beating the Dodgers 5-1 on Aug. 23 to take over first place within the West, they’re 5-11 and have scored two or fewer runs in six of their losses. That features the ultimate two video games of the Cincinnati sequence.
San Diego supervisor Mike Shildt mentioned his group’s batters want to determine a technique to create runs in opposition to good pitchers.
“When guys are on their A recreation, we’ve to be actually powerful,” he mentioned. “We now have to determine a technique to get higher and take high quality at-bats all through. I did not see us persistently making the changes.”
The Rockies will name on rookie right-hander McCade Brown (0-3, 12.54) on Thursday in an try to finish their five-game dropping streak. He took the loss in opposition to Vasquez on Saturday evening, due largely to a six-run second inning that knocked him out after only one 1/3 innings. Brown gave up 5 hits and 6 runs, together with a three-run homer to Fernando Tatis Jr., in his solely profession look vs. San Diego.
Colorado has dropped 16 of its final 19 video games, though it has to win solely two extra video games to keep away from matching the Chicago White Sox’s 121 losses of a 12 months in the past. That complete set the modern-era MLB report for defeats in a season.
–Subject Degree Media
