Good afternoon from Petco Park, the home of baseball’s best team (on May 23) and perhaps the scene of the Padres’ first perfect nine-game homestand since 2012.
The Padres are riding a season-best eight-game winning streak into the finale against the Mariners and have their best pitcher, Yu Darvish, on the mound, as well as one familiar face back in the lineup.
For the first time since he was pulled from a May 11 game with a positive COVID-19 test, Wil Myers is in right field and in the six-hole, two spots below new clean-up hitter Fernando Tatis Jr., who returned from his positive COVID-19 test on Wednesday.
Manny Machado (shoulder) and Trent Grisham (heel) remain out of the lineup. Grisham played catch in right field in shorts before the game.
To make room for Myers’ return, Brian O’Grady (2-for-20) was optioned back to Triple-A El Paso. Right-hander Keone Kela, who will miss the season to Tommy John surgery, was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
This is Myers’ first game action in over a week but his first at-bat today against Justin Dunn will not be his first look at live pitching.
He stepped in during left-hander Drew Pomeranz’s live BP before the game, tracked pitches in his first plate appearance, fouled a couple balls off before grounding to second in his second and then continued with regular pre-game hitting on the field off hitting coach Damion Easley and then the machine.
The Padres’ eight-game winning streak is their longest since winning 10 in a row in May 2009. That stretch started with their first ever perfect nine-game homestand as they swept the Reds, Giants and Cubs before winning one more game on the road.
Those Padres went on to finish fourth in the NL West with a 75-87 record.
These Padres own baseball’s best record (29-17), the best run-differential in the game (plus-68) and have a one-game lead on the Giants and Dodgers.
Even short-handed all series, the Padres have outscored the the COVID-19 impacted Mariners 22-5 through first two games here at Petco Park and will face a lineup that drops off considerably beyond the Mitch Haniger, Kyle Seager and Kyle Lewis in the 2-4 spots.
Top prospect Jarred Kelenic is not in the lineup.
Reliever Kendall Graveman was placed on the injury list before the game for an undisclosed reason. The Mariners arrived in San Diego earlier this week with a potential positive test pushing four relievers to the injured list. Two (Robert Dugger and Anthony Misiewicz returned Saturday).
Today’s pitching matchup
Mariners RHP Justin Dunn (1-2, 3.63 ERA)
The 25-year-old struck out a season-high nine batters in his last start (5 2/3 IP, 2 ER). He has not finished the sixth inning in any of his previous seven starts. Dunn – who is starting in place of an under-the-weather Yusei Kikuchi – allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings in last year’s meeting with the Padres at Petco Park. He struck out six in the game, walked four and gave up two hits.
Myers is the only Padres with a hit off Dunn in 21 plate appearances.
Padres RHP Yu Darvish (4-1, 1.81 ERA)
The former Ranger has an extensive history against the Mariners, going 5-4 with a 4.45 ERA, 82 strikeouts and a 1.37 WHIP in 12 career starts (74 2/3 IP). But he has not faced the Mariners since 2017. He struck out 10 over seven shutout innings of four-hit ball in his last start and has allowed one run or fewer in seven of his nine starts this year.
The Mariners have been no-hit twice this year and have the worst batting average (.198) in the majors, but Seager has at least been a thorn in Darvish’s side over the years.
