Padres look for series win against Phillies: August 18 preview

The San Diego Padres are aiming to win their latest series with the Philadelphia Phillies. Here’s our Padres vs. Phillies August 18 game preview.

Can the San Diego Padres return the favor to the Philadelphia Phillies?

That’s the question today, as the Friars look to do what the Phillies did to them two months ago: take two out of three games in their home ballpark. But earning a second straight win at Citizens Bank Park won’t come easy.

Sunday’s starter is Joey Lucchesi, who hasn’t been able to deliver a win for San Diego since the All-Star Break. The team has lost every one of his starts since—and Lucchesi has been tagged for the loss in two out of his last three outings.

In the last month, his ERA has risen more than a third of a run from 3.92 to 4.25, and he’s gotten through the sixth inning only once.

But this isn’t what one would call the rubber game. The Phillies are leaning on Jason Vargas, who was picked up from the Mets in July and is still looking for his first win in a Philadelphia uniform.

He does have one distinct advantage, and that’s his longevity; in his three starts since the trade, he’s gone at least six innings twice.

So Vargas will more than likely hang in longer than Lucchesi, and with the Padres’ bullpen being shaky at best, that’s an interesting proposition if you’re San Diego. The team only used three of their relievers on Saturday, and each pitched just an inning, so arms should be fresh—the worry is will they be consistent?

The offense broke out with 12 hits yesterday, though they still left nine men on base. Now that San Diego knows Fernando Tatis Jr. is probably done for the rest of the 2019 Padres season, this will be the time to search for a new leadoff hitter, too.

Who’s going to be the catalyst to keep the offense going? Eric Hosmer is certainly doing his part of recent:

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