Joe Musgrove is in line for his first start of the season as the San Diego Padres (10-12) face off against the Arizona Diamondbacks (12-9) at Chase Field on Saturday. The Diamondbacks evened up the series 1-1 after winning 9-0 on Friday, their second head-to-head victory in four games this season.
Starter Zac Gallen threw seven scoreless innings – striking out 11 – for the win. Ketel Marte went 3 for 5 with a double, one run, and two RBIs in the win. Gabriel Moreno went 3 for 4 with one run and three RBIs. Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a double for the Padres, stretching his on-base streak to 22 games.
ON THE MOUND
Musgrove is set to start for San Diego, his season debut. Last season, the RHP made 30 starts and went 10-7 with a 2.93 ERA. He had 184 strikeouts and 42 walks over 181.0 innings. Over three starts against the Diamondbacks in 2022, Musgrove was 1-0 with a 3.31 ERA over 16.1 innings. He had 19 strikeouts and two walks.
Righty Merrill Kelly (1-2, 2.53 ERA) will toe the rubber for Arizona. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Padres. Kelly made three appearances against the Padres in 2022, all starts, striking out 17 and walking three over 17 innings (1-0, 2.65).
In his last start on Monday, Kelly got the win on the road against the Cardinals. He threw six innings and gave up one run on five hits, striking out three, in the 6-3 victory.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, San Diego has averaged only 1.8 runs a game, down from their season average of 3.6, while performing worse across the board (.163/.220/.275). Against right-handed pitchers like Kelly this season, the Padres have a .665 OPS.
Bogaerts is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a 1.254 OPS in 51 at-bats.Arizona is averaging 6.6 runs per game in the last five, up from 4.9 for the season, with a better slash line (.298/.342/.481). The D-backs have a .727 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a .852 OPS over 51 at-bats, Josh Rojas has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
San Diego is 5-4 away from Petco Park in 2023, scoring 4.2 runs per game while allowing 4.4 runs. Arizona has gone 6-3 at home this season, averaging 6.2 runs per game while surrendering 4.3. San Diego is 7-3 in the last 10 games between the NL West rivals at Chase Field with an average scoreline of 5.2-3.6.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Diamondbacks lead the NL West by two games over the Dodgers. The Padres are third in the NL West, two games behind the Diamondbacks.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Arizona Diamondbacks (+125)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
