Padres Start Tough Road Trip With MLB-Best Cardinals

Jun 26, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Tyson Ross (38) pitches during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1 Thursday, 4:10pm

Tyson Ross (5-7, 3.57 ERA) vs. Tim Cooney (0-0, 11.57 ERA)

Ross has been inconsistent this season. He has struggled with the walks. He has issued five walks in two of his last three starts. Despite that, he has won two starts in a row. In his last start, he went 6 innings, allowed two runs and struck out 7.

Ross leads the major leagues with 48 walks. The Cardinals are a team that will do serious damage if given free passes.

The Padres get somewhat of a break not having to face one of St. Louis marquee starters in the series opener. Cooney made his major league debut on April 30th when he started against the Phillies. He only went 2 1/3 innings and allowed 7 hits and 3 runs. The Padres definitely have a better lineup than the Phillies.

He has been down at Triple-A Memphis most of the season. He will start for the injured Jaime Garcia. At Memphis he was 6-4 with a 2.74 ERA.

May 31, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Jhonny Peralta (27) hits a one run single off of Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Yimi Garcia (not pictured) during the eighth inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Dodgers 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2 Friday, 5:15pm

Andrew Cashner (3-9, 4.22 ERA) vs. Michael Wacha (10-3, 2.77 ERA)

Cashner has struggled mightily this season. In his last start, he was much better. He went 7 innings, allowed just two runs and struck out six with zero walks. Before that, he had allowed 5+ runs in three of five starts. He has appeared in 6 games against the Cardinals in his career but never started a game. He has a 3.68 ERA in 7 1/3 innings.

Wacha is a huge part of the young core the Cardinals have. He is 24 and already has 6 playoff appearances for the Cards. He has already doubled his career high for wins this year with 10. This will be his first appearance against the Padres. He has only allowed more than three runs in four of his 15 starts.

The Cardinals have several good hitters. Jhonny Peralta is the best hitting shortstop in the game right now. He leads the team with 11 home runs and is hitting .301. He has never faced Cashner.

Jun 26, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Yonder Alonso (23) hits an RBI double during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3 Saturday, 11:15am

Odrisamer Despaigne (3-6, 4.94 ERA) vs. Carlos Martinez (9-3, 2.80 ERA)

Despaigne struggled in his last start, allowing four runs but he did strike out 6 and only allow three hits. He has pitched well in the absence of the injured Brandon Morrow.

He has had two career starts against the Cardinals and neither has gone well. He is 0-2 with a 10.24 ERA in just 9 2/3 innings. Matt Carpenter is 4 for 6 with a home run against Despaigne. Carpenter also has been a great hitter this season, with an .828 OPS.

Martinez has been a huge reason why the Cardinals have been able to win without Adam Wainwright, who is out for the year. In his last start, he faced a good lineup in the Cubs and held them to two hits and one run. The good news is he has allowed six runs in three innings in his career against the Padres.

Yonder Alonso is 2 for 3 off of Martinez. Alonso has been one of the best hitters for the Padres since coming off of the DL. He is hitting .310.

Jun 23, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Justin Upton (10) reacts after striking out against the San Francisco Giants during the fourth inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Game 4 Sunday, 11:15am

Ian Kennedy (4-7, 4.86 ERA) vs. Lance Lynn (5-4, 2.74 ERA)

Kennedy has allowed just one earned run in four straight starts. Unfortunately, he is only 1-2 in those starts. He is tied for the team lead with 17 home runs allowed. He has struggled in his 6 career starts against the Cardinals. He is 2-4 with a 9.00 ERA.

Matt Holliday will likely not be in this series. That will be a good thing for Kennedy. Holliday is 6 for 13 with two home runs off of him.

Lynn has allowed just three runs in his last four starts. He has shouldered a lot of the load with Wainwright out. He is 2-2 with a 3.52 ERA in four career starts against the Friars.

The Padres really need to play well in this series. Honestly, a series split would be big here. The Cardinals are the best team in baseball and the Padres are a bad game or two from being in an all-out tailspin. This year they have generally played better against better competition. A split would be great here, and actually I am going to say that it happens. The only direction the Padres can go is up, especially offensively.