Fansided

Series Preview: Padres Head to Windy City

By Nick Lee |
4 of 4
Next

Mar 26, 2015; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Kris Bryant (76) at bat during a spring training game against the Los Angeles Angels at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Padres (6-4) have a lot of momentum coming off of a 5-2 home stand. They now head to the Windy City to face the Chicago Cubs (5-3) for a weekend series. The Cubs themselves have been playing good ball which should make this a competitive, entertaining series. The Padres are 6-4, which marks the first time since June 21st, 2013 that they are two games above .500.

The Friars are hitting well and are fifth in the league in average at .278. They are also third in the MLB in doubles with 22. Justin Upton is a raging volcano of production. In his last five games, he is eight for 17 (.471) with two home runs, four RBI and eight runs scored.

More from Padres News

The Cubs are finally calling up their prized phenom, former USD Torero Kris Bryant. He led the universe in home runs during Spring Training and will finally get the chance to show what he can do on the big stage. This is a weekend series where all of the games will be daytime starts. This should be a great series featuring two upstart teams who are hoping to reverse recent downward trends.

The Padres get to use the top 3 arms in their rotation for this series. They will face a Cubs team that is hitting .224 to start the year.

Apr 6, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starter James Shields delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1 Friday, 11:20AM

James Shields (1-0, 2.08 ERA) vs. Jason Hammel (1-0, 4.50 ERA)

Shields is coming off of a huge win against the San Francisco Giants and Madison Bumgarner. In two starts so far this year, he has pitched 13 innings and struck out 15 while only allowing three runs. He is facing his former manager, Joe Maddon. He has never pitched at Wrigley Field. He has faced the Cubs once before, pitching 6 1/3 innings, giving up three runs while striking out nine.

More from Padres News

Hammel made his first start against the Colorado Rockies. He went six innings, allowed three runs and struck out six without a walk. He has made 12 career starts against the Friars. He is 4-3 with a 5.01 ERA.

Someone with a lot of experience against Hammel is Matt Kemp, who in 25 at-bats is hitting .280 with a home run and two doubles. Last season, the Padres won the three game series two games to one by scoring 21 runs in the series. Here’s hoping the Padres can equal or exceed that total this time around.

Apr 12, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Tyson Ross (38) pitches during the second inning against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2 Saturday, 11:20AM

Tyson Ross (1-0, 3.75 ERA) vs. Kyle Hendricks (0-0, 10.38 ERA)

Ross has gone six innings in each of his first two starts. He struck out eight his last time out against the Giants. He is 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA in eight innings against the Cubs in his career. All of his experience against the Cubs has come at Wrigley Field. Last year he went six innings and struck out 11 in a win against them. A repeat of that performance on Saturday will likely net him another win.

More from Padres News

Hendricks is entering his second season in the big leagues. He had a pretty successful rookie season, going 7-2 with a 2.46 ERA in 80 innings. He started against the Padres once last year and pitched very well. He went seven innings without allowing a run and he did not walk anyone. Hendricks has a career 1.99 ERA at Wrigley Field. In his first start, he allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Justin Upton has plenty of experience against the Cubs. He has hit 8 home runs with 33 RBI in 44 games. The Padres will need him to stay hot in order to beat the Cubs.

Apr 8, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Andrew Cashner (34) in the second inning of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3 Sunday, 11:20AM

Andrew Cashner (0-2, 4.09 ERA) vs. Jon Lester (0-1, 7.84 ERA)

This makes for an exciting finish to the series on Monday. The Padres get a crack at the Cubs’ new ace. Also, this will yet be another opportunity for Padres fans to debate on who won the Anthony Rizzo-for-Andrew Cashner trade. Cashner has struggled out of the gate. Even though he leads the team with 15 strikeouts, he also has allowed five runs and 15 hits.

More from Padres News

He has pitched five times in his former home park, Wrigley Field. He has not fared well, with a 2-4 record and 4.78 ERA. Against the Cubs, he has 2 starts with a 4.15 ERA.

Lester moves over from the American League where he pitched for the Athletics and Red Sox. He has struggled in his first two starts in a Cubs uniform. He has allowed nine runs in 10 innings. He has only one career start against the Padres. He pitched seven innings and only allowed one run.

The Padres have a lot of momentum coming into this series. This will be a tough series to win as the Cubs are also playing well and they will have the biggest bat in their organization in the lineup for the first time. I am predicting the Padres to lose this series two games to one but it will be a tight one, it can go either way. This should be an entertaining weekend of baseball at Wrigley.

More from Friars on Base

Next
Home / Padres News

Schedule