San Diego Padres (15-4) @ Houston Astros (8-10)
Game 1:
Date: Friday, April 18
Time: 8:10 pm EST
Broadcast: SCHN/Padres.TV
Game 2:
Date: Saturday, April 19
Time: 7:10 pm EST
Broadcast: SCHN/Padres.TV
Game 3:
Date: Sunday, April 20
Time: 7:10 pm EST
Broadcast: ESPN
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Probable Starting Pitchers
Game 1: Kyle Hart (2-0, 5.40 ERA) vs. Ryan Gusto (1-1, 3.00 ERA)
Gusto is a bullpen arm that regularly makes short starts. At first glance, he has better stats with a lower ERA. He also has more strikeouts than Hart. A slightly deeper dive, however, reveals that Hart has tossed a pair of solid starts, sandwiching a bad one. The veteran Hart will attempt a second consecutive strong start, while Gusto seeks strikeouts and short-form dominance.
Game 2: Michael King (3-0, 2.42 ERA) vs. Hayden Wesneski (1-1, 4.00 ERA)
Though the numbers aren’t tremendous for Wesneski, the 27 year old has lasted through at least five innings in each of his three starts this season, while allow three or fewer ER in each. On the flip side, King, a seeming perennial Cy Young candidate, is in the midst of such a season, following up on a campaign where he put up over 200 strikeouts.
Game 3: Dylan Cease (1-1, 6.64 ERA) vs. Framber Valdez (1-2, 4.29 ERA)
While the starters for the first two games of this series seem to be at or near midseason form, the starters for Sunday Night Baseball are still in search of their normal performance level. Valdez has the edge as far as ERA goes, but that’s only because he’s lasting an inning longer than Cease on average.
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Player To Watch
San Diego Padres
No Jackson Merrill isn’t a problem for the Friars, as Manny Machado has racked up 20 hits in his last 15 games and his .913 OPS signals that it’s been more than just singles.
Houston Astros
Jake Meyers, one of the only Spacemen with a recent multi-hit game, Meyers, with his .271 average, also has six bags on the year. The young center fielder has yet to blast a home run this season, though he did tally 13 moonshots a season ago.
Next Game
San Diego: April 21-23 at Detroit Tigers
Houston: April 21-23 vs. Toronto Blue Jays
