Padres End Road Trip with Bay Area Battle

Jun 16, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Justin Upton (10) hits a sacrifice RBI as he breaks his bat grounding into a double play during the eighth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1 Tuesday, 7:15pm

Odrisamer Despaigne (3-5, 4.92 ERA) vs. Madison Bumgarner (7-4, 3.09 ERA)

This matchup on paper does not look to be in the Padres favor. Despaigne is coming off one of the worst starts of the season. He was tagged for 6 runs in 6 innings against the Athletics. He is yet to start against the Giants this season though he did pitch 4 2/3 innings of perfect relief in April.

The good news is that he is 2-0 with a 0.36 ERA in 3 starts against the Giants in his career (which all came last year).  He pitched 7 shutout innings in his only start at AT&T Park last season.

Bumgarner has looked somewhat human at times this year. Overall, he has righted the ship since his first start against the Padres when they ran all over him. Earlier this month he allowed 5 runs to the lowly Philles. However, in the two starts since then he has allowed just three runs and has struck out 16.

Justin Upton is 12 for 30 with a home run against Bumgarner. The Padres have significantly better numbers against lefties this season.

Jun 18, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Ian Kennedy (22) pitches the ball against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2 Wednesday, 7:15pm

Ian Kennedy (4-5, 4.53 ERA) vs. Ryan Vogelsong (5-5, 4.38 ERA)

Kennedy has been up and down all year. In two straight starts he has allowed just one run and walked just one. In his last start against the Giants on May 6th, he only allowed one run through 7 innings. He has 22 career starts against the Giants. He is 10-4 with a 2.43 ERA. This is welcome news as the Padres have struggled against the Giants at AT&T Park.

Kennedy has a 2.49 ERA in 12 starts in San Francisco. His ERA is cut in half this season when he pitches on the road.

Vogelsong pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings in his last start against the Seattle Mariners. The Padres always play him tough as he has a 5.14 career ERA against San Diego in 11 starts.

Matt Kemp is hitting .343 with a home run against Vogelsong.

 Buster Posey leads NL catchers in All-Star voting. He leads the Giants in home runs with 10.

Jun 3, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher James Shields (33) pitches during the first inning against the New York Mets at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3 Thursday, 12:45pm

James Shields (7-1, 3.75 ERA) vs. Chris Heston (7-5, 3.83 ERA)

Shields is unbeaten no more. He allowed four runs on 8 hits while walking four against the Diamondbacks. He is 3rd in the NL in strikeouts with 109 and 6th in innings pitched with 93 2/3. With a good start on Thursday, he could eclipse the 100 inning mark.

He has a 0.56 ERA in two starts against the Giants. The last one came in early April when he went 7 innings and only allowed one run. This will be his first start at AT&T Park since losing Game 5 of last year’s World Series.

Heston is two stats removed from his no-hitter on June 9th. Expect Murphy to slot as many left-handed hitters as he can against Heston. Lefties are hitting .308 with five home runs against him. The Friars handed him a loss in May, getting 5 runs and 11 hits.

The Padres need this series win. Unfortunately, I don’t see it. Tuesday’s matchup is unfavorable and Kennedy is unpredictable. I think the Padres will salvage the finale and head home with a series loss. Crazy things can happen. The lineup is full of hitters who are underachieving (see Kemp, Will Middlebrooks, Melvin Upton). Now is a great time for them to hit like they have in the past.