Walker Buehler (3-3, 4.88) gets the ball for the Padres against Cristopher Sánchez (6-2, 1.47) at 6:40 PM ET in Philadelphia. The last time these two squared off on May 27, Buehler was actually fine — 5.1 innings, 2 earned, 0 walks — and still ate a loss because Sánchez threw 7 shutout frames with 9 punchouts and the San Diego bats vanished.
About Sánchez: he's not just hot, he's chasing a piece of history. Per the Inquirer, his scoreless-innings streak has reached 44.2 and he passed Carl Hubbell for the longest such run by a left-hander in MLB history. He leads the majors in ERA, innings, and bWAR. There is no soft landing in this matchup for an offense that just got blanked by him a week ago.
The Padres are scuffling at the exact wrong time, dropping 4 of their last 5 with the only win coming against the Nationals. Philly has alternated W-L-W-L-W in their last 5 and just took the series opener 3-2 on Tuesday. San Diego at 32-27 is still in decent shape in the NL race, but a third straight loss to this rotation would sting.
The injury column is doing the Padres no favors either. The rotation is held together with tape — Pivetta got transferred to the 60-day IL on Tuesday with a forearm issue, Marquez is just now starting a rehab assignment at Triple-A El Paso, Musgrove isn't back until after the All-Star break, and Darvish is still building up. Add Ramon Laureano hitting the 10-day with a hip and Cronenworth still in concussion protocol, and Mike Shildt is patching a lot of holes.
- Day-To-DayBlake Hunt C — Hunt is dealing with an oblique injury and has been shut down from activity, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
- 7-Day ILJake Cronenworth 2B — Cronenworth (concussion) has been running, playing catch and taking light swings in the batting cage, but he remains without a definitive timetable for a return, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union Tribune reports.
- 10-Day-ILRamon Laureano LF — The Padres placed Laureano on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to May 31, due to right hip inflammation.
- 10-Day-ILLuis Campusano C — Campusano (toe) has been catching bullpens and is swinging pain-free, per MLB.com.
- 15-Day-ILGerman Marquez SP — Marquez (forearm) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday.
- 15-Day-ILMatt Waldron SP — Waldron (forearm) could take on a bullpen role when he returns from the 15-day injured list, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILNick Pivetta SP — The Padres transferred Pivetta (forearm) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday.
- 60-Day-ILJhony Brito RP — Brito (forearm) struck out four batters and allowed one hit and no walks over six shutout innings Friday in a rehab start for Double-A San Antonio.
- Day-To-DayJ.T. Realmuto C — Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said Tuesday that he expects Realmuto (wrist) to return to the lineup Wednesday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayCarson DeMartini SS
- Day-To-DayBryan Rincon SS — The Phillies promoted Rincon from Single-A Clearwater to High-A Jersey Shore on Aug. 15.
- Day-To-DayKeaton Anthony 1B — Anthony suffered a fractured toe after fouling a ball off his foot during Monday's Grapefruit League game versus the Red Sox, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
- Day-To-DayRene Pinto C — Pinto (undisclosed) began a rehab assignment Monday, Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- Day-To-DayDaniel Robert RP — Robert suffered a cardiac incident Sunday while preparing to throw a bullpen session and was taken to a local hospital, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayMark Kolozsvary C — Kolozsvary (undisclosed) agreed to a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILKyle Backhus RP — Backhus (elbow) played catch Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
Good news in the home dugout: per The Athletic's Matt Gelb, interim manager Don Mattingly said he expects J.T. Realmuto (wrist) back in the lineup Wednesday. Getting your starting catcher back behind a guy chasing a Hall of Famer's record is the kind of stacking the deck Philly will happily take.
Pinnacle has the Phillies at -209 with a total of 7.5, and that ML number tells you everything. Until somebody actually scratches a run across against Sánchez, the market is going to keep pricing him like a postseason ace. Padres need Buehler to match zeros early and hope the Phillies bullpen blinks late — otherwise this is going to look a lot like last Wednesday.