San Diego Padres Welcome the Oakland A’s for a Two-Game Set

After finishing up a ten-game road trip (5-5), the San Diego Padres come home to square off against the Oakland Athletics for a two-game, interleague series.

The San Diego Padres welcome to the Oakland A’s into Petco Park for a two-game set starting tonight. After a mixed-bag of results over the team’s last road trip, the Friars are surely hoping to get back into their winning ways.

The Padres dropped their first series since the beginning of May this past weekend to the first-place Atlanta Braves. They are now 34-40 overall and seven games behind the Diamondbacks in the National League West.

The Athletics are 36-36 and are twelve games back in the American League West, with the Astros (49-25) and Mariners (46-26) keeping pace in that division.

The Bob Melvin-helmed A’s are being led by Matt Chapman (currently on the DL but having a terrific season), Jed Lowrie (.284/.345/.460 with 43 runs batted in), and Khris Davis (.861 OPS with 20 homers and 49 RBI) at the plate.

Jonathan Lucroy, Matt Olson, Marcus Semien, and former St. Louis Cardinal Stephen Piscotty all pose valid threats throughout Oakland’s lineup. Dustin Fowler and Chad Pinder have proven to be solid contributors off of the bench, as well.

More from Friars on Base

• Fernando Tatis Jr. may not take to outfield move after Xander Bogaerts addition
• Padres News: Fernando Tatis Jr. trade rumors, Seth Lugo chase, Manny Machado
• Padres barely missed out on high-end veteran starting pitcher
• This veteran DH target seems ideal for contending Padres roster
• Padres got steal with Xander Bogaerts after Carlos Correa’s mega-deal

Pitching Matchups

Sean Manaea has been inconsistent this season but has seemed to regain his form in recent weeks. The A’s are missing Trevor Cahill, Andrew Triggs, and Daniel Gossett from their starting rotation.

Oakland will be trotting out Pete Blackburn (1-1, 11.05 ERA in one start this season) tonight and Frankie Montas (3-1, 2.67 ERA) in tomorrow’s afternoon matinee.

The San Diego Padres will be sending Eric Lauer (3-4, 6.20 ERA) to the mound tonight to face Blackburn, looking to build off of his encouraging outing last week against the Cardinals (5.2 innings, two earned runs).

Tomorrow, Tyson Ross will start for the Friars. He carries a 3.51 earned-run average and a 5-4 record into his outing, looking to continue his effective and efficient season.

Next: Will Johnny Wholestaff Keep a Place in Rotation?

In order for the Padres to keep that rosy hue that’s currently embracing this team and its fan base intact, a few wins over a similarly mediocre team would probably be beneficial.