Padres Play Weekend Series in Pittsburgh

3 of 5

Aug 7, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Starling Marte (6) is greeted by catcher Russell Martin (55) as he crosses home plate to score against the Miami Marlins during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Padres Series Preview

The Padres (52-61) head to the Steel City to play a 3-game weekend series with the Pirates (60-53). The Padres are coming off of a series split with the Twins and are firmly in 3rd place in the NL West. The Bucs are in 3rd place in a very crowded NL Central, only 1.5 games back of the first place Brewers and just finished a series with the Marlins where the Pirates took two out of three.

The Pirates may be without MVP Andrew McCutchen, who has a broken rib. The Pirates are also without their strong young starter, Southern Californian Gerrit Cole, who is on the disabled list with a sore back. The Padres are getting healthier but still have some players that will not play in this series. Carlos Quentin will not be with the team as he is still on the DL with a sore knee. Andrew Cashner will not join the team but has started a rehab assignment.

These two teams faced off in early June at Petco Park. The Pirates took the series two games to one. The Padres won their lone game of that series on one hit, while drawing 9 walks. The Padres offense has come a long way since June, and look to even the score.

Aug 2, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Ian Kennedy (22) pitches during the second inning against the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1

The pitching matchup for Game 1 will be Ian Kennedy (8-9, 3.59 ERA) and Vance Worley (4-1, 2.43 ERA). Kennedy was a bit wild in his last start, walking 5 in 5 innings. He also did strike out 7 and only allowed 1 run. Worley has not lost a start since July 3^rd. His last start was a solid one, pitching 6 innings and only allowing 1 earned run. Kennedy is 7^th in the NL with 150 strikeouts and only Tyson Ross has more punch outs on the Padres staff this year. He has not lost since June 25th.

Kennedy got the win against the Pirates in June, throwing 6 innings and striking out 7. He is 3-2 lifetime against the Pirates, with a 3.98 ERA in 7 starts. Kennedy also as a better ERA on the road than at home. He has a 3.18 ERA in 11 road starts and that ERA goes up to 4.00. Worley has started 2 games against the Padres, he has won both starts. He has a 2.08 ERA with 20 strikeouts. He joined the Pirates rotation in mid-June after multiple injuries and lately he has pitched very well. Worley played his college ball at Cal State Long Beach.

Jun 12, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Eric Stults (53) pitches during the first inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2

Game 2 will feature Eric Stults (4-13, 4.94 ERA) against the veteran Francisco Liriano (3-7, 3.91 ERA). Stults is tied for the major league lead in losses but his last start was a good one. He pitched 6.1 innings and did not allow an earned run and got the win. He looks to continue to lower is bloated ERA. Liriano got a no-decision in his last start against the Diamondbacks, pitching 6 innings and allowing 2 runs. He faced the Padres on June 4^th and got the loss. He did strike out 7 Padres and only allowed 2 runs but that was enough for the Friars to win. Liriano also has not allowed more than 4 hits in seven consecutive starts.

Stults only has one start against the Pirates, he pitched 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits. In his career in August, Stults has a 6-4 record with a 3.35 ERA. He has struggled against NL Central teams, with an 0-2 record and he has allowed 8 earned runs in 9.2 innings. The one-time All-Star Liriano has 3 career starts against the Padres, with a 1-1 record and a 2.37 ERA. He has struck out 28 in 19 innings.

Jul 29, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Tyson Ross (38) pitches during the fifth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3

In the finale of the series, All-Star Tyson Ross (10-10, 2.62 ERA) will pitch against Charlie Morton (5-10, 3.43 ERA). Ross looks to bring his record above .500, which he nearly missed doing last time out when he threw 6 solid innings against the Braves, striking out 7 while only allowing 2 runs. He has won 3 of his last 4 starts. Morton has not won since July 2^nd, but did have a good outing last time out. He pitched 7 innings and only allowed 1 run, getting the no-decision.

Ross has 15 strikeouts which is good enough for 4th in the National League. He has 2 starts against the Pirates in his career. He has pitched a total of 13.1 innings, striking out 13 with a 4.05 ERA against Pittsburgh. Ross just missed being name National League Pitcher of the Month in July, when he went 4-2 with a 1.10 ERA and 48 strikeouts.

Morton has 4 career starts against the Padres, going 3-0 with a 1.78 ERA in 25 innings. He has a lower ERA against San Diego than any other team he has faced in his career. He did face the Padres earlier this year and got the win, pitching 5 innings and striking out 9.

Aug 1, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Josh Harrison (5) hits a double during the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Players To Watch/Prediction

Even without McCutchen, the Pirates do have offensive threats in their lineup. Neil Walker, who may also miss some if not all of this series, has 16 HRs, 50 RBI and is batting .278. Josh Harrison is having a career year, hitting .308 with 10 HRs and 38 RBI, all of which are career highs for him. He also has stolen 15 bases.

Seth Smith looks to continue his good year. He leads the Padres with 12 HRs and a .290 average. Yonder Alonso tore up the Twins in the 2-game series with 6 hits.

Schedule