Tyson Ross (8-8, 3.37 ERA) and Adam Morgan (2-3, 4.46 ERA) start in the second of a three-game series between the San Diego Padres (52-58) and the Philadelphia Phillies (43-67) at Petco Park. The Phillies won the last game 4-3 and Philadelphia leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 5:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 8 and can be seen on CSPh and FSSD.
Ross pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering two runs (one unearned), striking out five and walking two in a 13-5 win over the Brewers. Justin Upton (.251, 55 Rs, 18 HRs, 59 RBIs, 18 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run, two RBIs, and one stolen base. Morgan went 5.0 innings, surrendering four runs, striking out one and walking three in a 6-2 defeat to the Braves in his most recent start. Ryan Howard (.237, 41 Rs, 19 HRs, 63 RBIs) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
San Diego is a -171 favorite against Philadelphia and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Padres have an overall money line of -468 and a record as the favorite of 26-20. The Padres have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 5.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 3.9 runs per game.
Over in the other dugout, Philadelphia is coming in with an overall money line of -842 and a disappointing record of 37-60 as the underdog. Offensively, the Phillies have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 3.7 runs per game by averaging 6.0 during that stretch.
The Phillies have the edge in the season series, 1-0. The Padres have a 12-10 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Morgan takes the mound. Ross (RHP) will be on the hill against the Phillies, who have a 32-52 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – SD, O/U – Over
Notes
San Diego is 1-4-1 SU in its last 6 games,.
San Diego is 3-6-1 SU in its last 10 games, when playing Philadelphia.
San Diego is 6-16-1 SU in its last 23 games, when playing at home against Philadelphia.
Philadelphia is 1-3-1 SU in its last 5 games, when playing San Diego.
Philadelphia is 1-3-1 SU in its last 5 games, when playing on the road against San Diego.
San Diego won its last game in a shutout, its second of the season. Philadelphia has been shut out 11 times this season.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Padres are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Phillies have a 4-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they are outhit, the Padres are 9-42. The Phillies have a 13-53 record when opponents outhit them.
San Diego and Philadelphia both rank near the bottom of the league in home runs. San Diego sits at 21st with 95 home runs this season and Philadelphia ranks 29th with 75.
Ranking 14th, San Diego is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.09 per game. Philadelphia ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 8.63.
Ranking 30th, San Diego is at the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.670). Philadelphia ranks near the bottom at 26th with an OPS of .681.
When the Phillies allow at least one home run, they are 20-47. When the Padres allow one or more homers, they have a 29-39 record.
