Andrew Cashner (2-9, 4.35 ERA) and Jeremy Hellickson (5-4, 4.94 ERA) are on the hill in the second of a three-game series between the San Diego Padres (36-40) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (35-38) at Petco Park. The Padres won the last game 4-2 and San Diego leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 10:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jun. 27 and can be seen on FSN-AZ and FSN-SD.
Cashner is 3-5 with a 3.27 ERA in his appearances against the Diamondbacks, but goes up against a quality Arizona offense which is batting .260 this season. Yonder Alonso (.321, 19 Rs, 2 HRs, 19 RBIs, 2 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one RBI. When pitching against the Padres, Hellickson is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts. Paul Goldschmidt (.352, 53 Rs, 20 HRs, 62 RBIs, 13 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with two RBIs.
San Diego is a -148 favorite against Arizona and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Padres have an overall money line of -462 and a record as the favorite of 19-15. San Diego has gone winless in its last 10 as the favorite. San Diego’s pitching staff has been doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 6.5 runs per game, well above its season average of 4.7. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Padres, who rank third in the NL in strikeouts per game with 8.4.
In games where it is the underdog, Arizona has a 23-24 record and an overall money line of +109. They played solid baseball as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 3-1 record, and a 5-5 record SU. Offensively, they average 4.5 runs per game, which is good for second in the NL. The Diamondbacks are tough outs for opponents, ranking second in the NL with 9.2 hits per game. The Diamondbacks are an excellent base stealing team with 65 stolen bases, ranking second in the MLB. The Diamondbacks average 4.6 runs allowed per game, but does better whenever another team from the NL West is on the schedule. They bring that runs allowed average down to 4.1 against division foes.
The Padres lead the season series, 6-5. The Padres have a 26-33 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Hellickson takes the mound. Cashner (RHP) will be on the hill against the Diamondbacks, who have a 27-27 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – ARI, O/U – Over
Notes
Arizona recorded at least two errors for the sixth time this season.
The Padres are 5-3 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are 4-4 in such matchups.
The Diamondbacks are coming into this game after allowing zero walks during their last outing. The Padres have a 2-6 record when opponents give up that many walks.
When they outhit their opponents, the Diamondbacks are 22-8. The Padres have a 26-7 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 12th in runs, San Diego has earned 316 this season. Arizona ranks eighth with 326 runs.
Ranking 21st, San Diego is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 193 this season. Arizona ranks in the top 10 at 10th with 225.
The Padres are 23-13 when they hit at least one home run. The Diamondbacks perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 24-14 record.
