Randy Vásquez (6-4, 3.63) gets the ball for the Padres against Jacob deGrom (5-4, 3.17) for a 7:05 PM CT first pitch. deGrom is the headliner — he's allowed 2 total runs across his last 3 starts spanning 17 innings, including a 6-inning, 2-ER no-decision in Boston his last time out. Vásquez has been steadier than flashy, with a quality-ish 5-inning, 2-run win over Baltimore in his last turn.
The Padres show up at 38-35 and just took 2 of 3 from the Cardinals to close out a road trip, capped by a 6-1 win Wednesday. Texas, meanwhile, is a full-on mess. The Rangers (35-39) just got swept at home by Minnesota by a combined 25-7, including a 12-2 wipeout Tuesday and another 9-3 loss Thursday where the Twins again hung a crooked number in the first. That's 1 win in their last 6.
The Rangers infield is also held together with tape. Corey Seager went on the 7-day concussion IL on June 15, top prospect Sebastian Walcott is still rehabbing an elbow with no return date before late July, and the outfield is missing Evan Carter (oblique) and Michael Helman (hand). Catcher Danny Jansen is on the 10-day IL too. That's a lot of lineup punch unavailable against one of the best arms in the sport.
San Diego isn't fully whole either — Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Nick Pivetta and German Marquez are all rotation arms on the shelf, and reliever Ron Marinaccio is serving a 3-game suspension for plunking Gunnar Henderson on purpose last weekend. But the lineup is intact and the bullpen got Mason Miller back, who struck out 3 in 1.1 innings to nail down the save in Baltimore on June 14.
- 7-day ilFreddy Fermin C — The Padres placed Fermin (concussion) on the 7-day injured list Sunday.
- 7-Day ILJake Cronenworth 2B — Cronenworth (concussion) has been participating in light baseball activities and is "ramping up," per MLB.com.
- 10-Day-ILLuis Campusano C — Campusano (toe) continues to rehab in Arizona but hasn't yet been scheduled for a minor-league rehab assignment, per MLB.com.
- 10-Day-ILMiguel Andujar DH — Andujar (hamstring) remains out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.
- suspensionRon Marinaccio RP — Marinaccio was suspended three games by Major League Baseball for intentionally hitting Gunnar Henderson with a pitch during Saturday's game versus the Orioles, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
- bereavementMason Miller RP — Miller secured the save Sunday against the Orioles, throwing 1.1 clean innings. He struck out three.
- 15-Day-ILMatt Waldron SP — Waldron (forearm) made his first rehab appearance with Triple-A El Paso on Sunday, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings.
- 15-Day-ILGerman Marquez SP — Marquez (forearm) tossed four scoreless innings for Triple-A El Paso on Sunday, allowing one hit and issuing one walk while striking out two batters.
- Day-To-DaySebastian Walcott SS — Walcott (elbow) will begin to ramp up his activity soon and is still on track for a late-July or early-August return to a minor-league affiliate, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
- 7-Day ILCorey Seager SS — The Rangers placed Seager on the 7-day concussion injured list Monday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
- 10-Day-ILMichael Helman CF — The Rangers placed Helman (hand) on the 10-day injured list Sunday.
- 10-Day-ILEvan Carter CF — The Rangers placed Carter (oblique) on the 10-day injured list Saturday.
- 10-Day-ILDanny Jansen C — Jansen is not in the Rangers' starting lineup against the Guardians on Friday.
- 15-Day-ILJalen Beeks RP — Beeks (2-1) earned the win in relief Saturday against the Cubs after tossing 1.1 scoreless innings. He struck out one with no hits or walks allowed.
- 15-Day-ILChris Martin RP — The Rangers placed Martin on the 15-day injured list Monday with a right shoulder impingement.
- 60-Day-ILJordan Montgomery SP — Montgomery (elbow) threw a 20-pitch live batting practice session Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
The shape of the game is pretty clear: deGrom vs. a Padres offense that's been competent, and Vásquez vs. a Rangers lineup missing its best hitter. Whoever blinks first probably loses, because both bullpens project to get a lot of work in a low-scoring spot. Texas desperately needs a stopper start from deGrom before this homestand turns into a full-blown identity crisis.