The Padres get a big test right away when they open a three-game set against the Yankees on Friday in San Diego, with both clubs sending out a strong group of starters for the weekend.
For the Padres, the timing could hardly be more urgent. They’ve dropped seven of their last 10 and are trying to stop the slide while hanging in the National League wild-card race. San Diego sits a half-game behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final playoff spot and holds a two-game edge over the Miami Marlins, who are just outside the picture.
New York comes in with a much firmer grip on its own postseason position. The Yankees have a 10-game lead over the third-place Cleveland Guardians in the American League wild-card race and trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 3.5 games in the AL East.
The series begins Friday night with right-hander Walker Buehler taking the ball for San Diego against lefty Max Fried. Buehler is 8-6 with a 4.66 ERA, and he put together a strong August, going 2-1 with a 3.16 ERA.
In his last outing against the Tampa Bay Rays, he allowed seven hits and three earned runs, including two homers, over five innings. The 32-year-old has given the Padres a steady presence in a rotation that has had to absorb plenty of injuries, making 27 starts this season.
Fried, also 32, missed time with a bone bruise in his left elbow but came back from the injured list last week. In that return, he worked 3.2 innings and gave up three hits and one earned run. He hasn’t allowed more than one earned run in any of his last four starts.
Saturday’s matchup features two lefties: Robbie Ray for San Diego and Carlos Rodón for New York. Ray is 11-7 with a 3.14 ERA and has settled in nicely since arriving in a trade with the San Francisco Giants. In five starts for the Padres, he’s 1-1 with a 3.42 ERA, and his latest outing may have been his best in brown and gold, when he held the Rays to three hits and one earned run over six innings.
Rodón, meanwhile, has worked through elbow inflammation this season and returned from a minor league stint on Aug. 19. In two starts since coming back from the IL, he’s thrown 8.2 innings, allowing five hits and four earned runs.
Sunday’s finale has Michael King lined up for the Padres, with the Yankees’ starter still to be announced. King has been San Diego’s best starter this year, going 9-9 with a 3.11 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP across 28 starts. He also showed plenty of grit in his most recent outing, escaping multiple jams over six scoreless innings against the Reds.
Friday’s opener is set for 6:40 p.m. PT/9:40 p.m.
ET. Saturday’s game begins at 4:15 p.m.
PT/7:15 p.m. ET, and Sunday’s finale is scheduled for 1:10 p.m.
PT/4:10 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Padres Face A Brutal Manny Machado Dilemma In Playoff Chase
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Padres Just Added Ethan Salas With One Big Lineup Question Ahead
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Salas has already shown both offensive and defensive promise in Triple-A, which is why the move feels like more than a short-term fill-in. He even got the start against the Cincinnati Reds after the call-up, but the bigger question for San Diego is how much opportunity he gets next, and where he fits as the Padres try to balance development with the urgency of the moment. [Read more 🡒]