Good luck trying to stop the San Diego Padres.
The Padres have been rolling since the schedule resumed after the All-Star break, winning 12 of 15 games. They will look to keep their momentum going in the second game of a three-game set against the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday evening.
Not even a 2-hour, 40-minute rain delay could cool the Padres in the series opener on Tuesday, when they scored four times in the fifth inning and emerged with a 6-0 victory.
“Great team win,” said San Diego reliever Bryan Hoeing, who was credited with the victory. “I think to come out here and stay focused throughout that delay and get the win is a huge win for us to get things going here in this series.”
The result moved the Padres into the top National League wild-card spot and pulled them within four games of the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
“That’s always in play, from Day 1,” San Diego third baseman Manny Machado said recently about potentially catching the Dodgers. “We just don’t talk about it. Just go about it and play the game. We’ve got to go through them. That’s not a secret. Everyone knows it. But at the end of the day, it’s just worry about today. And then whatever happens, happens. It’s not really think too far in the future.”
After the games of July 19, the Padres were a game outside the playoff picture and eight games back of the Dodgers. They also were a half-game behind the Pirates in the wild-card race; now, they are five games ahead of Pittsburgh.
Donovan Solano continues to be a problem for the Pirates in their home park, as he went 4-for-5 with four RBIs on Tuesday. That output raised the 36-year-old veteran’s average to .533 (16-for-30) in 12 career appearances in Pittsburgh.
San Diego right-hander Michael King (9-6, 3.26 ERA), who skipped his last turn after he was hit in the left calf by a line drive on July 27, will be on the mound Wednesday for his first career appearance against Pittsburgh.
In his past five starts, King is 4-1 with a 1.76 ERA.
While things are going well for the Padres, it’s been a struggle of late for the Pirates. The Tuesday loss was their fourth in five games since a three-game winning streak. They have been unable to gain any ground in the playoff race, stuck four games behind the Atlanta Braves, who hold the final NL wild-card position.
It’s also been a rough go for newcomer Bryan De La Cruz. Acquired from the Miami Marlins before the trade deadline, the left fielder is 1-for-18 after going 2-for-4 in his Pittsburgh debut. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Tuesday.
“I think the big thing we got to make sure (is) he doesn’t try to do too much,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “New team, it looks like he’s trying to go a little too fast, so we have to slow him back down a bit.”
Forced to go deep into their bullpen because of the delay, the Pirates will hope to get a quality start from Marco Gonzales (1-1, 3.72 ERA). The left-hander was pulled after 2 1/3 innings in his latest outing on July 27 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
As for relief options behind Gonzales, Shelton said, “I’m going to have to get with (pitching coach) Oscar (Marin) and see where we are at, where we think people are at, and then we will talk through that and kind of go from there.”
Gonzales is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in two career starts against San Diego.
–Field Level Media