Padres Visit Diamondbacks in NL West Battle

The Diamondbacks are also feeling pretty good themselves. Winners of six out of their last seven, Arizona is also coming off a doubleheader, double shutout of the Braves this Sunday. After allowing just one hit in the first game, pitcher Madison Bumgarner threw a no-hitter in Game 2 and Arizona left Atlanta licking their wounds on the way back to Phoenix.

The NL West is proving itself to be the most competitive division in baseball, with three teams holding four of the best records in the National League. As good as San Diego is playing, the Diamondbacks are right behind them and only a single game out of third place

Tatis Jr. and Slam Diego

Tatis Jr. wasted no time in making his name known, not only in baseball but in the sporting world. This weekend’s games were no different as he hit five home runs, in 14 at bats, in the final three games of the Dodger series. After missing 15 games due to a shoulder injury, Tatis, in only 57 at-bats, still leads his team in home runs with seven.

Alongside Tatis s first baseman Eric Hosmer, who is leading the team with a batting average of .315 and 16 RBIs. Hosmer continues to give productive at-bats and remains the only hitter in the lineup batting over .300.

Not to be outdone, outspoken third baseman Manny Machado has recently been finding his pitch after struggling early. Following the series with Los Angeles, he is  batting over .250, as is second baseman Jake Cronenworth and left fielder Wil Myers.

As a team, the Padres are hitting .233, with 187 hits. That is good for fifth place in the majors. The San Diego lineup remains one of the most dangerous groups in baseball, and one that nobody wants to face, especially not right now.

Pitchers Are People, Too

MLB news states that San Diego will send out Chris Paddack on Tuesday night for his fifth start. He is 1-2 with a 3.50 ERA and has allowed 18 hits with one home run and seven walks. The young hurler, in his third season, has also managed to strike out 17 in just 18 innings.

There is much to expect from Paddack, who has spent his entire career with the Padres but has failed to deliver so far. His last outing against Arizona was back on April 4 and ended up with him getting the loss. However, practice makes perfect and Paddack had his best start last time out against the Milwaukee Brewers. He  made it through five innings and allowed only one run while striking out seven and walking only one.

Paddack already had a start against the Diamondbacks this year that ended in a loss. He only made it through four innings in that game, allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out at three. Arizona liked what it saw last time and will look to do the same against the right-hander on Tuesday.

Diamondbacks Let Game Do the Talking

With all the fuss around San Diego and Los Angeles over the past few weeks, few have recognized the strong play that the Diamondbacks have shown lately. Not only did they take two of three against the Braves, but they also swept the the Cincinnati Reds.

First baseman Pavin Smith has made an impressive jump from his rookie year and leads the team with a .288 batting average in his sophomore campaign. Left fielder David Peralta leads Arizona with 18 RBIs and is hitting .253. That is somewhat impressive considering he only has three homers.

Diamondbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly goes into the game with a 1-2 record and a whopping ERA of 7.71. Having already faced San Diego earlier this month, Kelly is looking to put the past out of his mind, as he gave up three runs on five hits in just four innings vs the Padres in April. This will be one of his toughest tests to date.

Bottom Line

This is not your parents’ Padres team. San Diego has built a team that has power and speed, and it has caught the attention of baseball. With one day’s rest, and time to get over the adrenaline rush of the series against the Dodgers, the Padres should head into Arizona and handle their business. The MLB betting line has the San Diego Padres at -145 — and that is the pick.

Pick: San Diego Padres -145