Padres Series Preview vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

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Aug 11, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (23) singles to drive in a run against the Atlanta Braves during the sixth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Series Preview

The Padres (58-65) head to Los Angeles to face the West-leading Dodgers (70-56). The Dodgers were recently swept at home by the Brewers. The Padres are coming off of a tough series loss to the Cardinals. These two teams have met 10 times this year and the Dodgers have won six of those games.

The Dodgers made a little flurry of moves since the last time these two teams met. Most notably, the Dodgers acquired former Padre Kevin Correia from the Twins. This is to make up for the considerable number of starting pitchers on the disabled list. Josh Beckett, Paul Maholm, Chad Billingsley and Hyun-Jin Ryu are all on the shelf for Los Angeles. Two key infielders for the Dodgers are also hurt. Hanley Ramirez has battled injuries nearly all year and will not be back for at least a few weeks. Juan Uribe is also on the disabled list with a hamstring injury.

The Padres are also banged up. Yonder Alonso is now shelved for the year. Everth Cabrera is still battling hamstring issues and ace Andrew Cashner is still rehabbing. He may return later this weekend or next week some time. There are still plenty of players to watch on both sides that can turn the tides in this series.

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

Game 1 features two veteran pitchers in Ian Kennedy (9-10, 3.54 ERA) and Kevin Correia (1-0, 1.50 ERA). Kennedy has struck out at least 5 in four straight starts. His issue the past few times out has been walks. Though he hasn’t pitched like himself lately, he still is 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA this month. He has 14 starts against the Dodgers. He is 5-5 with a 3.99 ERA in those outings. This year, he is yet to win against the Dodgers in 3 starts.

Correia just recently came over from Minnesota. He just started against the Padres two weeks ago and allowed 3 runs in 6 innings, getting a no-decision. The native San Diegan has started 10 games against the Padres, going 4-3 with a 4.77 ERA. He has had it rough this season pitching in his home ballpark, with a 6.75 ERA.

Former Padre and native San Diegan Adrian Gonzalez leads the Dodgers with 17 home runs and 83 RBI. He is on a hot streak right now. He has hit safely in 5 straight games and has 7 hits and 3 RBI in that span. He is hitting .444 in his last 10 games with 9 RBI.

Jul 29, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) doubles in the third inning of the game against the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2

Game 2 with have Eric Stults (5-13, 4.64 ERA) pitch against Roberto Hernandez (1-0, 2.25 ERA). Stults has pitched well lately. This month, he is 2-0 with a 1.41 in 3 starts this month. Stults has 6 starts against the Dodgers, going 1-4 with a 3.96 ERA. This season, he has pitched poorly on the road. He has a 5.11 ERA and is 1-9 in 14 road starts.

Hernandez just arrived from pitching for the Phillies where he went 6-8 with a 3.87 ERA. Formerly known as Fausto Carmona, Hernandez has faced the Padres once, getting the win in 6 innings and allowing 2 runs. He has a 3.16 ERA at home this year. He has been consistent this year. He has not allowed more than 3 runs in a start since July 4^th, and that was also the last time he lost a start.

Another player to watch for the Dodgers is of course, Yasiel Puig. He is hitting .313 with 13 HRs and 59 RBI. He has already walked 16 more times this year than he did last year in just 11 more games. He is hitting .286 in his career against San Diego with 6 home runs in 23 games.

Aug 10, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Tyson Ross (38) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the second inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3

The finale of this series will feature a pitching duel. Tyson Ross (11-11, 2.70 ERA) will go for the Padres against All-Star Zack Greinke (12-8, 2.75 ERA). Ross leads the team with 11 wins. He had a rough start last time out against the Cardinals when he walked 4 and allowed 3 earned runs. He dominated in his last start against the Dodgers, pitching 7 innings, only allowing one run and 9 strikeouts.

Greinke has not won a start since July 25^th. He has had his way with the Padres. In 6 starts, he is unbeaten at 4-0 with a 2.00 ERA. Dodger Stadium has been good to him this year. He has a 2.48 home ERA in 11 starts. He pitched once against the Padres earlier this year, getting the win after pitching 5 innings, allowing 2 runs and striking out 5.

Matt Kemp has played well since the All-Star break. He is hitting .295 in that stretch and has hit 7 of his 15 home runs this year during the 29 games since the break. He has been a Padres masher throughout his career. Kemp has 17 home runs, 60 RBI and a .296 average against the Friars.

Jul 13, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Dee Gordon (9) slides head-first stealing 2nd base as San Diego Padres third baseman Alexi Amarista (5) applies the tag too late in the 6th inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Predictions

The Padres have their work cut out for them in this series. The Dodgers have plenty of weapons to throw at the Padres offensively and on the mound. The Dodgers are second in the National League with a .259 batting average.The thing to watch out for the most is on the base paths. The Dodgers lead the major leagues with 114 stolen bases. This is mainly due to a man named Dee Gordon. He has 56 stolen bases in 119 games. The next closest player to him is Jose Altuve with 46. The Dodgers have 18 home runs and 93 RBI on the disabled list in Hanley Ramirez and Juan Uribe.

Series Preview: Padres Head to LA to Face Dodgers

Schedule