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Series Preview: Padres Host Metropolitans

By Nick Lee |
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May 27, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets first baseman Lucas Duda (21) is congratulated by on-deck batter New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy (28) after hitting a solo home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Padres (25-27) enter the second leg of their homestand against the New York Mets (28-23). The Mets have been one of the surprising teams of this year. They were in first place for nearly all of the month of April and some of May until the Washington Nationals got hot.

The Padres are coming off of a series split with the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend. There was no shortage of offense in the series as the two teams combined for 39 runs in the four games. The Friars are desperately trying to get back to .500. A series sweep here would do the trick.

The Mets are coming from a home series loss to the Miami Marlins, but they did salvage the series with a win yesterday.

The Padres still have key players injured. There are rumors that Yonder Alonso will join the team during this series. Brandon Morrow is starting a rehab assignment. Wil Myers is slowly improving and might start a rehab assignment this week.

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May 16, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Andrew Cashner (34) pitches during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1 Monday, 7:10pm

Andrew Cashner (2-7, 3.00 ERA) vs. Jacob deGrom (5-4, 2.71 ERA)

Cashner finally got some run support after having really bad luck  most of the first few months of the season. He earned the win against the Angels after pitching 7 innings, striking out 8 and allowing 3 runs. He has been victimized by lack of run support for most of this season.

Cashner only has one career start against the Mets and that came last year. He pitched 6 innings in that start and got the loss after allowing 4 runs and 8 hits with 2 walks. Things should be different this time around as he has a 2.12 ERA at home.

deGrom is entering his second season in the bigs after winning the Rookie of the Year last season. He has picked up right where he left off so far this year, with 63 strikeouts in 63 innings. However, he has been much more effective at his home in Citi Field than on the road, where he has a 6.75 ERA this season.

He has never pitched at Petco Park nor ever faced the Padres. However, Justin Upton does have 9 plate appearances against him, but he is 2 for 9.

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May 28, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Ian Kennedy (22) pitches during the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2 Tuesday, 7:10pm

Ian Kennedy (2-5, 7.15 ERA) vs. Noah Syndergaard (2-2, 2.55 ERA)

Kennedy has had his share of rough outings this year. For the second time this season, he was tagged for 3 home runs and 7 runs or more in his last start, against the Pirates. The good news is that whenever he has had a bad outing this year, he usually follows it with a solid one. After he allowed 8 runs to the Dodgers, he then went back out to win his next start by striking out 6 in 6 innings.

Kennedy has had 8 career starts against the Mets. He is 4-2 with a 4.66 ERA. He oddly has a 9.70 ERA at home so far this season.

Syndergaard made his major league debut a few weeks ago. He has struck out at least 5 in each of his first four major league starts. His last start was his best, going 7 1/3 shutout innings and striking out 6 with no walks.

The hottest hitter in the Mets lineup right now is Lucas Duda. He has four home runs in his last 6 games.

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May 29, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher James Shields (33) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3 Wednesday, 6:10pm

James Shields (6-0, 3.69 ERA) vs. Dillon Gee (0-2, 3.86 ERA)

Shields is still unbeaten and looks to make history as the first Padres pitcher to start 7-0 in over 30 years. He has been a strikeout machine, leading the team with 88. He has struck out at least 6 in his last seven starts. He has one career start against the Mets and it was a good one. He went 7 innings while only allowing one run on 3 hits. He has a 3.16 ERA at home this season.

Gee is currently in his 6th year in the majors, all with the Mets. He has been on the disabled list for most of the month of May. He is scheduled to return and make his first start since May 3rd. He last faced the Nationals and got the loss after walking 5 in 5 innings. He has four starts against the Padres in his career with a 2.52 ERA.

The Padres need to win this series to build momentum before going back on the road. That is exactly what I predict, a series win two games to one. I have predicted correctly for two series in a row. Let’s keep the train rolling!

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