San Diego Padres look to avoid the sweep: Game 3 preview

The San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays will finish things off on Wednesday as the Friars try to steal a win. Here’s what to expect and how to watch Game 3.

We’re sick of writing it and you’re tired of reading it — the San Diego Padres’ bullpen is to blame for yet another loss.

After Eric Lauer allowed three runs to score through five innings, Craig Stammen took the mound in an attempt to keep it close.

Instead, he surrendered the tying run in the top of sixth thanks to his own errant throw to home, which likely would’ve gotten the runner out. That was Stammen’s third game in a row in which he squandered a Padres lead, making it five runs allowed in his last 2.2 innings of relief.

Things only got worse in the seventh when prospect Michel Báez took over. He walked a batter then gave up a two-out homer to Ji-Man Choi, giving the Tampa Bay Rays a lead that they’d hold until the end of the game.

Báez is young, inexperienced, and has a lot of room to grow — he gets a pass in this one. Stammen, however, has created some serious issues his past few outings; his error from the mound is simply inexcusable for the 10-year vet.

Now the Padres will send out Cal Quantrill (5-3) in hopes of avoiding a series sweep, while Jalen Beeks (5-1) will represent the Rays.

Beeks is having a decent season in his first full year with the Rays. Owning a 3.71 ERA and 1.375 WHIP, he’ll be starting just his third game in 2019. His last two starts saw a combined nine earned runs allowed over just 6.1 innings pitched, so the Padres will hope to rattle the 24-year-old and steal a win against a good team.

Meanwhile, the Friars’ own 24-year-old Quantrill has had quite the season. With a 5-3 record, 3.21 ERA, 1.143 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts through 70 IP, the Canadian rookie has turned heads away from fellow first-year Chris Paddack and towards the former first-round pick (eighth overall) in the 2016 MLB draft.

After a rough start to the season in which he allowed a 5.23 ERA, Quantrill has been nothing short of dominant ever since.

A brief stay in the bullpen saw only one run surrendered over 5.2 IP, while allowing a 2.99 ERA since returning to the starting rotation. His season is highlighted by his most recent outing against the Colorado Rockies in which he tossed seven scoreless innings, striking out five batters and walking none.

Keep your eyes on this rookie as he tries to sustain his monster campaign through the end of the season. If he can maintain this performance through September, it’ll be hard not to offer him a starting gig come 2020.

Here’s how you can watch the final game of the series between the Padres and Rays:

Date: Wednesday, August 14
First Pitch: 12:40 PM PT/3:40 PM ET
Location: San Diego, CA
Stadium: Petco Park
Pitchers:  Cal Quantrill (5-3) vs. Jalen Beeks (5-1)
Radio Station: KWFN 97.3 (Padres), WDAE 95.3 (Rays)
TV Channel: MLB Network (national), Fox Sports San Diego (Padres), Fox Sports Sun (Rays)
Live Stream: MLB.tv

For complete coverage of the San Diego Padres 2019 season, continue following Friars on Base all season long.