The Padres head to Texas fresh from a day off after winning the closing game against the Cardinals. The Dodgers aren’t playing exceptional ball, and it matters not because San Diego manages to always be a bit worse.
The Padres are nine back in the West and have to worry about the Arizona Diamondbacks in a battle for second place. The good news for Texas is that it is only a couple of games or so behind in the AL West. The bad news is the Rangers are playing sub-.500 ball.
Randy Vasquez goes against Jacob deGrom on Friday. Vasquez snapped a streak of four straight losing starts with a nice effort against the Orioles in his last game.
The Rangers have to be happy that deGrom can pitch after his injury-plagued career. He is 5-4 with a 3.17 ERA. MLB lines should favor the home team here. Don’t be shocked if it becomes a pitcher’s duel.