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Padres Start Homestand With Hot Nationals

By Nick Lee |
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May 13, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) doubles during the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Padres (18-17) play host to the Washington Nationals (19-16) for a four-game weekend series starting Thursday night. The Nationals are coming from Phoenix where they took two out of three from the Arizona Diamondbacks. That series was an offensive explosion and a pitching implosion for the Nationals.

The Padres flew home from a quick two-game series in Seattle where they split with the Mariners. That series had no shortage of offense either as the two sides combined for 8 home runs in the two games.

Game 1, Thursday 7:10pm

Tyson Ross (1-3, 3.98 ERA) vs. Doug Fister (2-1, 2.87 ERA)

Ross has put together two quality starts in a row but has an 0-1 record to show for it. He allowed two runs in six innings and struck out six his last time out against the Diamondbacks.

Ross has one career start against the Nationals, which came last year. He allowed 5 runs and walked 3 in that outing. The Padres need him to not repeat that performance if they have visions of winning this series.

Fister has pitched well lately, allowing just 3 runs with zero walks in his last two starts. The 6’8″ right-hander has one career start against the Padres. He pitched a complete game and received a loss even when he only allowed one earned run and struck out 7.

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Apr 20, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne (40) pitches during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2 Friday, 7:10pm

Odrisamer Despaigne (2-1, 5.13 ERA) vs. Jordan Zimmermann (2-2, 4.20 ERA)

Despaigne was pushed back in the rotation and is looking to bounce back from getting pummeled by the D-backs on May 7th. He allowed 8 runs on 10 hits in 5 innings. He has pitched better than that this year, posting a 2.95 ERA in April.

Despaigne is making just his 20th career start and his first against Washington.

Zimmermann is in his 7th season in the big leagues, all with the Nationals. He has pitched well against the Padres in his career. In 7 starts, he has a 1.90 ERA with 47 strikeouts, which is almost 7 strikeouts per start.

Matt Kemp hopes to break out of his May-long slump when he faces the Nationals. He has good numbers against Zimmermann, going 6-for-14 with two home runs and 7 RBI. Justin Upton in his days with the Atlanta Braves is hitting .353 lifetime against him with a home run.

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May 10, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3 Saturday, 5:40pm

Andrew Cashner (1-6, 3.07 ERA) vs. TBD

Cashner has been snake-bitten all season. In 5 of his 7 starts, he has allowed two runs or less yet only one win to show for it. In his last time out against the D-backs, he allowed two runs in 7 innings and struck out six yet got the loss due to poor run support. This was the same story last season.

He has four career starts against the Nationals. He is 1-2 in those starts but last year he posted a 1.50 ERA against them.

The Padres are not scheduled to see Max Scherzer or Stephen Strasburg although it is likely one of them will be slotted into one of these last two starts where the Nationals have no one scheduled to start.

The Friars pitching will need to beware of Bryce Harper. He is on another level of hot, hitting 6 home runs last week including 5 in two games. He now leads the National League with 12 home runs.

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May 12, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Ian Kennedy (22) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Game 4 Sunday, 1:10pm

Ian Kennedy (2-2, 5.92 ERA)vs. TBD

Kennedy is anxious to get out there again after serving up batting practice to the Seattle Mariners. In the 11-4 loss, he allowed 5 earned runs on two home runs and walked three. He did not get out of the 5th inning. The start before that one was the best he has had all season, allowing just one run in seven innings against the Giants. We will see if he can duplicate that start.

Entering his 9th season, Kennedy has six career starts against Washington with a 3-2 record and 2.31 ERA.

Kennedy will have to be careful of Ryan Zimmerman, who is 3-for-8 off of him with a home run. This season, Zimmerman has 4 home runs, 25 RBI and is riding a 7-game hitting streak.

This will be a tough series. The Padres are yet to fully hit their stride and they are hovering around .500, waiting for that hot streak to kick in. This will be a tough team to start that with as many picked the Nationals to reach and even win the World Series this year. Their pitching has not been as expected (sound familiar?) but they have a loaded lineup. I see a split in this series, each team taking two games.

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