Phillies Look for Another Series Win Against Padres

The Philadelphia Phillies look to extend their series win streak to three as they welcome the San Diego Padres to Citizens Bank Park.

Declan Harris | May 17, 2022

The Philadelphia Phillies return home to Citizens Bank Park following their first West Coast trip of the season, a trip which saw them go 5-2, winning their series against the Seattle Mariners and the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

The biggest change during the trip was the production of Philadelphia's offense, which scored 50 runs across the seven games. Some key figures who helped heat up the lineup were Jean Segura (.409), Rhys Hoskins (.375), and Bryce Harper (.609).

Even though the Phillies are back on the East Coast, they are still facing a West Coast team in the San Diego Padres, who sit half a game outside of the top spot in the NL West.

The Padres fly North from Atlanta where they nearly swept the Braves, taking two of three games from the defending champs.

Over the previous few seasons, San Diego has made moves that have taken them from a constant fourth-place team to contenders in a difficult division. The acquisitions of Manny Machado in 2019, Eric Hosmer in 2018, and Yu Darvish in 2021 have all helped in part to turn the team around.

This year is no different for these players with Machado (.359/.443/.586) and Hosmer (.350/.412/.512) having themselves quite the start to the season, while Darvish is off to a 3-1 start coming into the series.

One aspect that makes their performance rather impressive thus far is that the Padres are doing it without their star slugger Fernando Tatis Jr., who broke his wrist during the offseason. Tatis Jr. was a key part of their lineup in 2021, batting .292/.369/.596 while launching an NL-leading 42 home runs.

Let's take a look at the pitching match-ups for this series:

Game One:

Phillies Starter: TBD

Padres Starter: Mike Clevinger (0-0, 5.00)

Although the Phillies don't have a starter for Tuesday's series opener decided, there are rumors that Zach Eflin could make his return from the COVID-19 IL. Eflin's most recent start was on May 1 against the New York Mets, where he pitched four innings, giving up eight hits and six runs. If Eflin does take the mound, he would certainly look to improve his .500 record against the Padres, a team that he struggles against, yielding a 4.02 ERA against them.

Mike Clevinger will be given his third start of the season on Tuesday, this time on one week's rest. His most recent outing took place on May 10 against the Chicago Cubs, where Clevinger went four innings allowing two walks and three runs while striking out six batters.

First Pitch: Tuesday, 6:45 p.m. EST

Game Two:

Phillies Starter: Zack Wheeler (1-3, 4.26)

Padres Starter: Blake Snell (0-0, 0.00)

Zack Wheeler will make his second start on Wednesday following his return from the COVID-19 IL, being placed on at the same time as Eflin. Wheeler made his return against the Dodgers, where he allowed three runs while fanning seven batters in 5.1 innings, and also hit 99 mph during the outing, an extremely encouraging sign for the Phillies. The Padres haven't been an issue for Wheeler in the past, as he holds a 2-1 record against them with an ERA of 2.45, and a SO/9 of 10.8, the third-highest amongst all teams.

2018 AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell will be making his season debut on Wednesday following an adductor strain suffered on April 10. Snell is looking to bounce back from a difficult first season with the Padres where he went 7-6 with an ERA of 4.20 across 27 games.

First Pitch: Wednesday, 6:45 p.m. EST

Game Three:

Phillies Starter: Kyle Gibson (3-1, 4.10)

Padres Starter: Yu Darvish (3-1, 4.62)

Kyle Gibson will look to bounce back from his rocky start against the Dodgers where he allowed a season-high six runs over three innings. As he looks to close out the series for the Phillies, the Padres will be the ideal team for him to rebound against, as Gibson sits 2-0 across three starts with an ERA of 2.84 when facing them.

The Padres will send out Yu Darvish to close out the series on Thursday. Darvish hopes to go deeper into the game than his previous outing where he lasted 5.2 innings and allowed five runs on nine hits against Atlanta, jumping his season ERA to 4.62.

First Pitch: Thursday, 1:05 p.m. EST

Players to Watch:

Bryce Harper:

Although he might be absent during the first game, Bryce Harper finds himself as a player to watch during this series due to his recent offensive streak that earned him NL Player of the Week honors. Over the previous ten games, Harper is slashing .500/.537/1.111 with five home runs and 12 RBI. Historically, Harper has had the Padres' number, slashing .311/.402/.603 with 12 home runs across 42 career games.

Manny Machado:

Coming into the series, Machado has been an offensive unit for the Padres. Machado leads MLB in hits (46) while leading the NL in batting average (.359), and on-base percentage (.443). In the past, Machado hasn't been the biggest slugger against the Phillies, slashing .253/.330/.571. Holding back Machado will be a key for Philadelphia to take games during the series.

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Published May 17, 2022

DECLAN HARRIS

Declan Harris is a writer for FanNation's 'Inside the Phillies'.