Downward Spiral Continues as Padres Face Mets

Well, that didn’t work.

This week was supposed to be a chance for the Padres to pick up some road wins against one of the worst teams in the league. Instead, they were swept at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies in a rainy series that once again showcased San Diego’s inability to put together any offense.

Now team president Mike Dee is “extremely disappointed” as rumors of change within the organization swirl and the team sinks closer and closer to last place in the National League West.

But let’s focus on the field, where the Padres took a short bus ride from Philly to Queens for a weekend set with the New York Mets. The good news: The Mets are tied for last place in the NL East with the Phillies. The bad news: Well, you saw how it went with the Phils.Let’s break down the series to see if the Friars can turn it around.

What’s at stake: The Padres are suddenly trying to stave off last place in the division, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks by just half a game and just a game ahead of the Cubs for the worst record in the National League.

Believe it or not, the Mets are just 6 ½ games behind the first place Washington Nationals in the NL East despite losing eight of their last 10.

This is the first meeting of the season between the two teams. They will face off at Petco Park in July to close out the season series.

Matchups:
Friday, 4:10 p.m.:
Andrew Cashner (R, 2-5, 2.13) vs. Bartolo Colon (R, 5-5, 4.31)
Five starts, just seven earned runs … and no wins for Cashner. Tough luck, bro. Colon, thought to be washed up years ago, is still going strong and has put together three straight wins.

Saturday, 1:10 p.m.: Padres pitcher TBA vs. Zack Wheeler (R, 2-6, 4.19)
Donn Roach or Jesse Hahn will likely be called up to make the start for San Diego. Wheeler is averaging more than seven strikeouts in his last four starts.

Sunday, 10:10 a.m.: Ian Kennedy (R, 5-7, 3.63) vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka (R, 3-0, 2.95)
Kennedy had a three-game win streak snapped in Philly, but still went seven innings in the loss. Dice-K has been in and out of the Mets bullpen, but had a strong start earlier this week, allowing just one run on three hits in six innings against the Brewers.

Who to watch:
Padres:
Will Venable had a good series with four hits and a homer. Chase Headley had hits in each game. The rest of the team had 11 hits combined in the series. Yasmani Grandal has just two hits all month, but one of them was a homer.

Mets: Third baseman David Wright is the biggest name in this lineup. He’s having a solid season, hitting .270 and leading the team with 32 RBIs. But he’s mired in a 2-for-31 slump. First baseman Lucas Duda and outfielder Curtis Granderson each have eight homers, but both are batting under .230 for the season. Second baseman Daniel Murphy is on a six-game hitting streak.

Coming up: The Friars travel to Seattle for a home-and-home series with the Mariners. They play two games on the road, then host the M’s for a pair starting on Wednesday. That’s followed by a visit from the Dodgers next weekend. Make sure to get your “Beat L.A.” t-shirts on Saturday night.

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