First pitch from Citizens Bank Park is 1:05 PM ET, and the matchup card tells the whole story: Zack Wheeler (4-1, 2.27) vs Lucas Giolito (2-0, 4.97). One of these guys is in the Cy Young conversation. The other one walked 4 and got chased in the 3rd inning last time out against the Nationals.
The Padres are 32-28 but limping into this one. They got swept out of Washington over the weekend, then dropped the first two of this series by identical 3-2 scores. That's 4 straight losses, tied for their longest skid of the year, and the bats have completely gone to sleep — 2 runs in each of the last 3 games. The Phillies pitching staff has done its job; San Diego's lineup just hasn't shown up.
Wheeler is the headliner here for obvious reasons. He's posted a 2.27 ERA with a 40:9 strikeout-to-walk through 43.2 innings, and the only blemish lately was a 4-run, 4-homer outing in LA against the Dodgers — and even then he went 6 innings and only gave up 5 hits. The Phillies are 6-0 in his other starts. Coming off thoracic outlet surgery last September, the velo is down a tick to 94.7 mph but the results obviously haven't suffered.
Giolito has the W-L record working for him at 2-0, but the 4.97 ERA tells you the real story, and his last start was a mess: 2.2 innings, 4 earned, 4 walks, 1 strikeout, 77 pitches. If he can't find the zone early against a Phillies lineup that's been grinding at-bats, this could get out of hand quickly.
- 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-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-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.
- suspensionJohan Rojas CF — Rojas (shoulder) is starting in center field and batting leadoff in Thursday's Grapefruit League contest against Atlanta, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
The injury report is brutal for San Diego — Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Nick Pivetta, German Marquez, and Matt Waldron are all on the shelf, which is half a rotation. Jake Cronenworth is still out with a concussion and Ramon Laureano just hit the 10-day IL with hip inflammation. The Phillies are basically healthy on the position-player side, which is doing them no favors in this matchup.
Pinnacle has Philly at -188 with the total sitting at 7.5. That's a fat number on the moneyline, but it's hard to argue when you've got the best pitcher on the mound, the lineup advantage, and a team across the diamond that just can't score. Padres need Giolito to give them something more than 3 innings or this gets ugly fast.