Padres Travel to Big Apple to Face Mets

Apr 1, 2013; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a tribute to the first responders of hurricane Sandy as well as Habitat for Humanity of NYC before the start of a MLB opening day game between the New York Mets and the San Diego Padres at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Padres (28-38) take on the New York Mets (29-36) for a 3-game set over the weekend. The Friars visit Citi Field for the first time since the season opener of last year, when the Padres lost 2 out of 3. The Padres were 3-4 against the Mets in 2013.

The Padres have ace Andrew Cashner (2-5, 2.13 ERA) slated to pitch against veteran 41 year-old Bartolo Colon (5-5, 4.31 ERA). Colon has not lost a start since May 6th. In Game 2, the Mets have Zack Wheeler (2-6, 4.19 ERA), who is coming off of a rough start in San Francisco. The Padres have not listed a starter for Game 2 yet. The finale has Ian Kennedy (5-7, 3.63 ERA) against Daisuke Matsuzaka (3-0, 2.95 ERA). Kennedy has pitched well of late, with the exception of his start in Philadelphia.

The Mets are the team above the Padres in the team batting average rankings, with a .233 average. The Padres actually have one more home run than the Mets. Citi Field and Petco Park have its similarities. The Mets are also 3rd in the NL with 50 stolen bases, the main culprit being Eric Young Jr., who has 17. Curtis Granderson is hitting .361 in his last 10 games with 2 HRs and 7 RBI. He is tied for the team lead in home runs (8) with Lucas Duda.

The Mets pitching staff leads the NL in walks issued. This may be the cure for the Padres’ woes since the Padres are dead last in walks drawn. The Padres should feel right at home hitting at Citi Field. They must break out of this offensive funk they are in. The Padres are on a historically bad offensive pace. They showed flashes of life in Philly, with 2 home runs and 18 total hits. The Mets pitching staff has struggled and the Padres offense is bad. Something has got to give this weekend.