The Arizona Diamondbacks (11-9) will host the San Diego Padres (10-11) in an NL West showdown Friday night. The Padres expect to contend for the NL pennant this season, while the Diamondbacks hope to be a sleeper on the rise.
Friday's contest will be the second matchup of a four-game series. The Padres won the opening game 7-5 on Thursday. These two teams also split two games in San Diego earlier this month.
The Padres over/under win total was 93.5 coming into the season. San Diego is third in the NL West and have won their last two games beating Atlanta 1-0 on Wednesday before taking care of the Diamondbacks Thursday night.
Trent for ??#BringTheGold pic.twitter.com/RQx2a0il60
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) April 21, 2023
The Padres offense is off to a slow start ranking 28th with a .222 batting average, but they are fifth with 78 walks and seventh with 25 home runs. Although San Diego is just 25th averaging 3.8 runs per game their lineup has the potential to be one of the most lethal in the big leagues. Zander Bogaerts leads the team with a .418 on-base percentage, .350 batting average, five home runs and 12 RBI. The Padres lineup also includes other dangerous hitters like Nelson Cruz (12 RBI), Manny Machado, Trent Grisham (4 HR), and Juan Soto (4 HR).
Starting Friday night will be Seth Lugo who is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA in three starts. Last season Lugo went 3-2 with a 3.60 ERA but in 62 relief appearances with no starts. The San Diego bullpen is 15th with a 3.67 ERA.