The San Diego Padres, for as bad as they are, are right around .500 at home this season and they’ll host a Detroit Tigers team for three-games this weekend. The Tigers have been abysmal on the road, going 14-23. The Padres will look to take advantage of those home/road splits and capture a series upon their return home. They swept the Reds the last time they were at home.
This series will be contested from Friday, June 23, 2017 through Sunday, June 25, 2017 at Petco Park in San Diego.
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Pitching Matchups
The Padres’ rotation is as void of quality names as the rest of the team, but the guys lined up for this weekend series are at least throwing the ball well right now.
Detroit will have to go up against Luis Perdomo on Friday with Dinelson Lamet taking the hill on Saturday and Clayton Richard toeing the rubber on Sunday.
The names lined up for the Tigers in this series are more household names, but the quality has been a bit suspect, at least for the last two. Detroit will send reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Fulmer up against Perdomo on Friday with Anibal Sanchez and Jordan Zimmermann in the final two games.
Fulmer seems to clearly have the edge in Friday’s matchup. He’s 6-5 with a 3.45 ERA and 1.186 WHIP. Perdomo is 1-4 with a 4.97 ERA and 1.448 WHIP. That seems pretty cut and dry, but there are some wrinkles.
The Tiger’s young righty is coming off shoulder bursitis though he did go 6.2 innings in his last start. Still, in the month of June he’s 1-2 with a 6.50 ERA, allowing 13 runs in 18 innings.
Perdomo, on the other hand, is pitching better than he did at the start of the year. He’s thrown back-to-back quality starts and has four quality starts in his last five outings.
Sanchez gets Saturday’s start after holding the Mariners to two runs in five innings in a spot start on Monday. That’s good enough for the Tigers to get a second chance despite a 7.96 ERA and 1.962 WHIP in 26 innings overall.
The fall of Sanchez has been sad. From ERA leader in 2013 and then solid—but injured—starter in 2014, the veteran right-hander has been lost the last three years. He’s proven to be a successful big league starter, something Lamet has yet to do, but he’s also shown he can’t be trusted for three years now.
Speaking of Lamet, his 7.50 ERA leaves plenty to be desired. He’s made five starts and has just one quality out, but that was in his last start. He went six innings, allowing three runs and striking out 12 while only throwing 86 pitches, 64 of them for strikes. That version of Lamet could make the game interesting if we see him again on Saturday.
On Sunday, the Padres go to their most consistent arm: Clayton Richard. He’s not a top-of-the-rotation arm on any other team, but with an ERA+ of 102, he’s as close to an ace as the Padres get.
At 5-7 with a 4.20 ERA and 1.410 WHIP, he’s done well limiting damage and keeping San Diego in the game. He’s not a big strikeout pitcher and relies on keeping the ball on the ground. He’s atop the NL in groundball percentage and double plays. That said, many of those grounders also find holes so he gives up more than his share of singles. That’s better than extra base hits.
Zimmerman, on the other side of the diamond, can give up the extra-base hits and the long balls. He’s allowed 18 of them in 82.1 innings, that’s two per nine innings.
The vet has a 5-5 record and 5.25 ERA. He’s thrown four straight quality starts and has looked good in June with a 2.70 ERA and improving strikeout to walk ratio.
Given Zimmermann’s turn around and past success at Petco, where he has an active 15-inning scoreless streak, Detroit should capture the series.
Who's Hot?
Typically, when you think of the Padres’ offense, you think of Wil Myers and little else, but it’s been a few other guys having a good month of June.
Yangervis Solarte has been raking in June. He’s now upped his OPS+ to 105, making him and Myers the only Padres with at least 100 at bats and above average offensive numbers. The second baseman is 20-for-63 in the month with seven home runs and 15 RBIs, leading the team in both categories. His slugging .667 and has a 1.061 OPS in 17 games.
Another key player lately has been Jose Pirela. Since his promotion, all he’s done is hit. In his first 14 games, he hit .351 with eight extra base hits. In addition, Erick Aybar and Cory Spangenberg are both batting over .300 in the month.
The wins aren’t coming for the Tigers, but it’s not for lack of offense. The team is in the middle of the pack in runs scored here in June and the sum of the parts should be even better.
Sure, Miguel Cabrera’s power is still mostly MIA, but he’s starting to swing the bat a bit better. Meanwhile, Justin Upton and J.D. Martinez each have been swinging well. Martinez is 23-for-68 despite 19 strikeouts. He’s posting a 1.019 OPS this month. Upton’s OPS is 1.013 and he’s slammed five homers and driven in 23 runs.
Alex Avila is hitting well again, too, as is Nick Castellanos.
Who's Not?
While the Padres’ offense in general has been better in June, the same cannot be said for Hunter Renfroe, Allen Cordoba or Chase d’Arnaud.
Renfroe has had a rough season overall aside from the power. In June, he’s batting .188 with 18 strikeouts in 69 at bats. Cordoba is only 8-for-49 while D’Arnaud is 4-for-28.
Even with some hitters swinging well, the Padres entered Thursday third from last in baseball in runs scored during the month of June. Of course, the pitching has been a problem, too, with a 5.41 June ERA.
Detroit’s pitching has only been moderately better at 5.13. Their rotation has been spotty at best and their bullpen struggles have continued.
Francisco Rodriguez has given up a couple big homers this month. Alex Wilson, Shane Greene and Justin Wilson have all struggled with control.
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