The Padres head into their three-game set with the Guardians riding real momentum, and they’ve lined up a rotation that reflects where they are right now: chasing wins, leaning into what’s working, and keeping some flexibility in the mix.
San Diego is coming off a sweep of the Brewers and has won seven of its last 10 games overall, a stretch that has pushed the club into a National League wild-card spot ahead of both the Diamondbacks and Phillies. After a day off Thursday, Fernando Tatis Jr. said the break comes at a good time, even if the group would have preferred to stay on the field.
“It’s much needed,” Tatis said of the day off. “But at the same time, we’re hot.
We want to keep playing baseball. But it’s going to be well received, and then we’ve got more business to take care of in Cleveland.”
Cleveland arrives at 59-63 and in fourth place in the American League Central, with the Guardians having dropped four straight series.
Friday’s opener pairs two right-handers who have been steady for much of the year. Michael King gets the start for San Diego after putting together a 3.77 ERA across 24 starts.
He last worked six innings and gave up one run on three hits against the Astros. Gavin Williams goes for Cleveland with a 3.55 ERA over 24 starts, and in his most recent outing he held the White Sox to two runs on three hits over 5.2 innings while striking out seven.
The middle game on Saturday is listed as TBA for the Padres, though Randy Vásquez is the likely choice. Vásquez has a 4.16 ERA in 23 appearances, including 19 starts, and he’s been sharp lately, allowing just two runs over his last two outings against the Diamondbacks and Astros. Still, San Diego is not naming him the No. 5 starter yet.
Manager Craig Stammen explained the thinking behind that approach.
“Randy pitched great last time,” Stammen said. “There’s not much more else he can do besides how he pitched … the last time he went out.
I just feel like we have options within our pitching staff that can hopefully give us a better chance to win. … I think we saw so much success with it before the trade deadline and a little bit after, with how we mixed up the pitching staff and tried to match up as best we could.
… Having one spot like that open to be able to do that is advantageous for us.”
Joey Cantillo will start for the Guardians in Game 2. The left-hander has made 25 starts and owns a 3.91 ERA, but he has thrown only six innings in August, and his last start ended after just one inning.
Sunday’s finale brings Casey Mize to the mound for San Diego against Tanner Bibee. Mize has faced the Guardians before from his time with the Tigers, and in May he worked 6.2 innings against Cleveland, allowing two runs on four hits with four strikeouts. His first Padres outing was rough - eight runs allowed - but he bounced back in his last start by giving up two runs over six innings against Milwaukee.
Bibee has been one of Cleveland’s more reliable arms, carrying a 3.99 ERA over 25 starts. He struggled in his most recent appearance, allowing six runs, five earned, over 6.1 innings against the Tigers.
Friday’s game starts at 4:10 p.m. PT/7:10 p.m.
ET and will air on Padres.TV, Guardians.TV, WKYC 3 and in the MLB app. Saturday also begins at 4:10 p.m.
PT/7:10 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on Padres.TV, Guardians.TV, KFMB 8.1 (CBS), TV Azteca and in the MLB app.
Sunday’s finale is set for 10:40 a.m. PT/1:40 p.m.
ET on Padres.TV, Guardians.TV and in the MLB app.
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