The San Diego Padres (37-44) are on the road to face the Cincinnati Reds (43-38) at Great American Ball Park on Friday for the first of a three-game series.
The Padres are in the midst of a six-game road trip. They were just swept in three games against the Pirates, dropping the finale 5-4 on Thursday at PNC Park for their fifth straight loss. Ha-Seong Kim was 2 for 3 with a home run and a double.
He had two RBIs. The Reds won two of three against the Orioles in their last series, taking the finale 11-7 on Wednesday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
TJ Friedl’s on-base streak is up to 11 as he went 3 for 5 with a home run, three runs, and three RBIs. Will Benson also went 3 for 5 with a triple and a double. He scored three runs and had one RBI.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Padres have won two of three in the season series between the teams, including a 7-1 victory in their most recent meeting on May 3 at Petco Park. Starter Seth Lugo got the win, allowing one run on seven hits over six innings.
ON THE MOUND
Yu Darvish (5-6, 4.84 ERA) is set to get the start for San Diego. The right-hander allowed four runs over six innings in his last start, a 4-2 home defeat against the Giants on June 21. He was charged with the loss, giving up seven hits while striking out six and walking two.
For Cincinnati, right-hander Graham Ashcraft (3-6, 7.17 ERA) will toe the rubber. He has made one prior start against the Padres this season, giving up one run over six innings in a 2-1 road win on May 2.
He gave up six hits and walked one while striking out three in the no-decision. In his last start on Saturday, Ashcraft took the loss at home against the Braves. He threw four innings and gave up six runs on 10 hits, striking out two, in the 7-6 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
The San Diego offense is averaging 4.2 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .233/.322/.396. Juan Soto leads the team in OPS at .912. The left fielder is slashing .267/.421/.491 with 14 home runs, 41 RBIs, and 45 runs over 81 games.
Over the last five games, though, San Diego has averaged only 2.4 runs a game while performing worse across the board (.223/.310/.313). Against righties like Ashcraft this season, the Padres have a .691 OPS.
Soto also is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a 1.003 OPS in 185 at-bats. Cincinnati is slashing .257/.335/.412 for the season and averaging 5.0 runs per game. Spencer Steer leads the team with a .852 OPS.
The third baseman has 12 home runs, 46 RBIs, and 41 runs scored with a slash line of .279/.367/.484. The Reds have a .742 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a .920 OPS over 178 at-bats, Jake Fraley has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
San Diego is on a three-game losing streak in road games, bringing their record to 17-22 in 2023. The Padres have scored 4.3 runs per game away from home while allowing 4.3 runs.
Cincinnati has gone 21-20 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 5.0 runs per game while surrendering 5.6. In the last 10 games at Great American Ball Park between the teams, San Diego is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 5.4-4.5.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Padres are fourth in the NL West, 10 games behind the division-leading Diamondbacks. The Reds lead the NL Central by zero games over the Brewers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
SD Padres (-140)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
