In the second of a three-game series between the Arizona Diamondbacks (33-34) and the San Diego Padres (33-34) at Chase Field, Robbie Ray (2-1, 1.09 ERA) and Tyson Ross (3-7, 3.90 ERA) get the start. The Diamondbacks won the last game 4-2 and Arizona leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 10:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jun. 20 and will air on FSN-SD, FSN-AZ and MLB Net.
In his last start, Ray pitched 7.0 innings, allowing zero runs, striking out three and walking two in a 7-3 victory over the Angels. A.J. Pollock (.310, 44 Rs, 8 HRs, 31 RBIs, 14 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 3 with one run. In his pitching opportunities against the Diamondbacks, Ross is 2-3 with a 3.00 ERA. He meets a solid Arizona offense that’s batting .264. Justin Upton (.275, 42 Rs, 13 HRs, 43 RBIs, 14 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
Arizona, a -118 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against San Diego. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at eight runs. The Diamondbacks are 11-10 as the favorite and have an overall money line of +154. They have an SU record of 16-15 against teams in their division and a 5-3 record when they were the favorite in those games. Arizona has averaged 3.1 runs per game over the last 10 games, lower than its season average of 4.5. The Diamondbacks come into the game with the top-ranked scoring offense in the NL, averaging 4.5 runs per game. The Diamondbacks are a stellar hitting team with an NL-best 9.3 hits per game. They have been a terror on the base paths, ranking second in all of baseball with 60 steals. Arizona’s pitchers are doing better against opposing batters during divisional games, only allowing an average of 3.8 runs per game, well under their season average of 4.5.
Moving on to the away team, the Padres come into this game with a weak win percentage of .389 when playing as the underdog (14-22) and an overall money line of -312. Against divisional opponents, they are 17-16 SU and 7-12 as the underdog. They sport the fourth-ranked offense in the NL, averaging four runs per game. San Diego has an eye for the strike zone on the road, ranking 3.0 in the NL with fourth walks per game. San Diego’s pitching staff tends to perform well when they play division rivals. They’ve allowed an average of 3.7 runs per game against teams from the NL West, lower than their season average of 4.6. They also have some of the most overpowering arms in the NL with an average of 7.9 strikeouts per road game.
The Diamondbacks will take on a right-hander (Ross) in this game and have a 24-25 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Ray will take the mound against the Padres, who have a 25-29 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – ARI, O/U – Over
Notes
Arizona recorded at least two errors for the fourth time this season.
When the Padres play into extra innings, they have a 4-3 record. The Diamondbacks are 4-4 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Padres managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Diamondbacks who are heading in with a 14-8 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Diamondbacks are 21-7. The Padres have a 23-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Arizona and San Diego both rank in the top 10 of the league in runs. Arizona sits at sixth with 299 runs this season and San Diego ranks ninth with 291.
Ranking 21st, San Diego is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 183 this season. Arizona ranks in the top half at 14th with 204.
When the Diamondbacks hit at least one home run, they are 23-13, well-matched with the Padres who are 22-12 when hitting one or more homers.
