Jeremy Hellickson (1-3, 5.20 ERA) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (13-14) go up against James Shields (3-0, 3.72 ERA) and the San Diego Padres (15-15) in the second of a four-game division series at Chase Field. The Diamondbacks won the last game 11-0 and Arizona leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 9:40 p.m. ET on Friday, May. 8 and will air on FSN-SD and FSN-AZ.
In his last start, Hellickson pitched 5.1 innings, giving up three runs, striking out six and walking one in a 6-4 loss to the Dodgers. Paul Goldschmidt (.346, 22 Rs, 8 HRs, 26 RBIs, 6 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 2 for 4 with two runs, one home run, and two RBIs. In his career against the Diamondbacks, Shields is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA. He gets a strong Arizona offense that’s batting .269. Derek Norris (.311, 16 Rs, 2 HRs, 16 RBIs) went 1 for 3 yesterday.
Arizona is a +116 underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at eight runs. The Diamondbacks are 8-11 as the underdog and have an overall money line of -28. They are 2-5 as the underdog over their last 10 games. The Diamondbacks have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire NL, averaging 4.5 runs per game. The Diamondbacks are a nightmare for opponents on the bases with 24 steals, one of the highest totals in baseball. As for the pitching staff, the Diamondbacks are fifth in the NL in walks allowed with just 2.6 per game.
Moving on to the opposing team, the Padres come into this game with a solid win percentage of .600 when playing as the favorite (9-6) and an overall money line of zero. Against teams in their division, they are 13-10 SU and have played well as the favorite with a 9-3 record. They sport the top-ranked offense in the NL, averaging 4.8 runs per game. San Diego is one of the top hitting teams in the NL with an average of 8.9 hits per contest. Playing against NL West foes really brings the best out of the San Diego pitchers. They allow 3.7 runs per game against teams within their division, which is lower than their season average of 4.4.
This game will feature Shields (RHP) on the mound against the Diamondbacks, who have an 8-10 record when they take on a right-handed starter. The right-handed Hellickson will take the mound against the Padres, who have a 9-11 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – SD, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Diamondbacks won by a margin of 11 runs. The Padres are 2-2 in games decided by a margin of 10 runs or more. The Diamondbacks have a 1-0 record in blowouts.
San Diego has won 57% (8-6) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Arizona has won 73% (8-3) of its games when taking a late lead.
The Diamondbacks are coming into this matchup after a high-scoring game where they scored a whopping 11 runs. The Padres have a 0-3 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they are outhit, the Padres are 1-13. The Diamondbacks have a 2-10 record when opponents outhit them.
Arizona ranks in the bottom half of the league at 20th when it comes to home runs, hitting 21 this season. San Diego ranks in the top half at 11th with 26.
Arizona and San Diego both rank in the top five of the league in hits. Arizona sits at third with 9.19 hits per game and San Diego ranks fifth with 8.86.
Ranking 18th, San Diego is in the bottom half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.697). Arizona ranks in the top 10 at 10th with an OPS of .728.
The Padres are 9-12 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Diamondbacks are 6-10 when they allow at least one homer.
