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Series Preview, pt. 1: Padres Play Home and Away Series With A’s

By Nick Lee |
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May 31, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Stephen Vogt (21) hits a sacrifice fly to send in a runner against the New York Yankees during the eighth inning at O.co Coliseum. The Oakland Athletics defeated the New York Yankees 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Padres (32-33) and new skipper (for now) Dave Roberts will play the Oakland Athletics (26-39) for four games in a row, two in San Diego and two in Oakland.

The Padres are coming off a tough weekend. They battled in each game of the series with the Los Angeles Dodgers but they ended up losing the series. Also, they have shown their skipper of 7 1/2 seasons the door and replaced Bud Black with Dave Roberts as the interim, while in search of a long-term replacement.

The Athletics have the worst record in the American League and are playing in a weak AL West division. They are coming off of a series loss on the road to the Los Angeles Angels. They made the trip south for the first two games of this series.

In injury news, Wil Myers is headed back to the disabled list with the same wrist problem. No word yet as to the amount of time he is to miss. No word on Brandon Morrow who was shut down on June 7th after a setback in a rehab start.

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Jun 10, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Tyson Ross (38) delivers a pitch to an Atlanta Braves batter in the first inning of their game at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1 Monday, 7:10pm

Tyson Ross (3-6, 3.81 ERA) vs. Jesse Hahn (3-5, 3.84 ERA)

The first game of this series provides an intriguing matchup of both starting pitchers facing the team with whom they broke into the major leagues.

Ross was part of the Oakland A’s organization from when he was drafted in 2008 out of Cal-Berkley until November 2012. He appeared in 53 games with Oakland and 21 as a starter. He went 6-13 with a 5.33 ERA. This season has been one of ups and downs for Ross. He has allowed at least two runs in each of his first 13 starts this season.

This will be the first time Ross pitches against the team that drafted him. He has a career 3.36 ERA in 11 interleague starts.

Hahn made his major league debut as a Padre last season and was one of the best rookie pitchers in the National League. He went 7-4 with a 3.07 ERA and 70 strikeouts and 73 innings. He pitched well at Petco Park, with a 2.93 career ERA in 7 games.

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Jun 12, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Derek Norris (3) hits a two run home run during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2 Tuesday, 12:40pm

Andrew Cashner (2-8, 4.16 ERA) vs. Scott Kazmir (3-4, 2.79 ERA)

Cashner has been disappointing so far this season. He has allowed 15 runs in his last three starts combined including 7 against the Cincinnati Reds. He has allowed 12 home runs this season. In 19 starts last season, he allowed a total of 7.

He has never made a start against the Athletics. The good news is he has a career 2.28 ERA at Petco Park.

Kazmir seems to be one of the hot trade chips for the next month. He is having a good season, allowing two runs or less in 8 of his 12 starts this year. The 3-time All-Star is in his 11th year. He only has one start against the Padres back in 2007. The Friars got to him for four runs in 6 innings. He has a 4.52 ERA in interleague games.

Derek Norris will be playing his former team of three years for the first time. He hit 26 home runs, 43 doubles with a .727 OPS in his time with Oakland. He has 16 career home runs and a .269 average at O.co Coliseum. He has been the Padres most consistent hitter this season and should be an All-Star.

I expect the Padres to come out motivated and win these two games at Petco Park. They will want to win for interim manager Dave Roberts. Although this team just lost their manager and leadoff hitter, the Padres can still turn it around and make some noise.

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