San Diego Padres: Pitching Matchups for Series vs. Dodgers

Saturday – Mitchell vs. Maeda

Bryan Mitchell will square-off against Kenta Maeda on Saturday. Mitchell, 27, has not had himself a good year by any stretch. His 6.07 ERA and 1.89 WHIP tells pretty much the entire story.

Even a few stretches of “decent” innings have continuously come to screeching halts with a crooked-numbered inning following soon thereafter.

The idea has been floated by manager Andy Green, pundits, and fans alike that Mitchell could be pitching for his spot in the Padres’ rotation. He may, in fact, be doing just that tonight.

Kenta Maeda has been terrific since making his MLB debut in 2016. His 3.80 career earned-run average and 1.17 WHIP, while averaging just under 93 mph on his four-seam fastball, as per Statcast, is extremely impressive in an era of power pitchers.

His stats this year are another testament to his consistency. His 3.76 ERA is right on par with his career marks, though his WHIP is up around 1.5 (1.48), well above his career averages. This could be an opportunity for the Padres to pounce.

Carlos Asuaje (.571 in seven at-bats), Freddy Galvis (.417, one home run in 12 at-bats), and Manuel Margot (.400 in ten at-bats) have all had success against Maeda in the past so expect to see them in there on Saturday.