In the second of a four-game series between the San Diego Padres (51-70) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (50-71) at Petco Park, Jarred Cosart (0-1, 5.03 ERA) and Zack Greinke (11-4, 4.31 ERA) get the start. The Padres won the last game 9-8, and San Diego leads the series 1-0. The game starts at 10:40 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 19 and will air on FSAZ and FSSD.
In his last start, Cosart pitched 6.0 innings, giving up one run, striking out two and walking two in a 3-2 loss to the Mets. Wil Myers (.273, 80 Rs, 23 HRs, 71 RBIs, 21 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 4 with two runs and one RBI. The Diamondbacks were unsuccessful against the Red Sox 16-2 the last time Greinke pitched. He went 1.2 innings, allowing nine runs and striking out three. Jake Lamb (.269, 61 Rs, 24 HRs, 75 RBIs, 5 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run.
San Diego, a +120 underdog, will look to capitalize at home against Arizona. Oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at seven runs. The Padres have a losing record of 38-63 when playing as the underdog and an overall money line of -260. They are 2-7 as the underdog over their last 10 games. The Padres will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In the last 10 games, San Diego has only averaged 2.7 runs per game compared to the 4.3 it’s averaged on the season. They have been a terror on the base paths, ranking third in all of baseball with 102 steals.
Switching to the opposing dugout, the Diamondbacks come into this game with a win percentage of .500 when playing as the favorite (24-24) and an overall money line of -1,813. Over the past 10 matchups,the team is 6-4 SU and have an unblemished 3-0 record when it was the favorite. Arizona has been playing better lately, averaging 6.3 runs per game, more than their season average of 4.5. Arizona is one of the top road hitting teams in the NL with an average of 9.2 hits per contest. The Diamondbacks have racked up 95 steals on the year, making them one of the most threatening base-running teams in the league. Switching gears to Arizona’s pitching staff, they have some of the most overpowering arms in the NL with an average of 8.0 strikeouts per road game.
The Padres will take on a right-hander (Greinke) in this game and have a 35-54 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Diamondbacks will be the right-hander Cosart. They sport a 34-54 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – ARI, O/U – Over
Notes
San Diego is 0-4-1 SU in its last 5 games,.
San Diego is 2-3-1 SU in its last 6 games, at home.
San Diego is 1-3-1 SU in its last 5 games, when playing at home against Arizona.
In their last game, the Diamondbacks lost by a margin of one run. The Padres are 14-24 in one-run games. The Diamondbacks have a 14-12 record in close games.
The Padres managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Diamondbacks who are coming in with a 14-9 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Diamondbacks are 8-51. The Padres have a 10-51 record when opponents outhit them.
Tied at 17th for total home runs, San Diego and Arizona have each hit 140 homers this season.
Ranking 14th, San Diego is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.02 per game. Arizona ranks in the top five at third with 9.21.
Ranking 28th, San Diego is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.700). Arizona ranks in the top 10 with an OPS of .759.
The Diamondbacks are 25-59 when they allow at least one home run. The Padres perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 27-51 record.
