Chicago White Sox (76-79) vs. San Diego Padres (86-69)
The Chicago White Sox head to Petco Park on the last day of September to start a three-game series against the San Diego Padres, and the first pitch is set at 9:40 PM ET. These two interleague foes meet for the first time since 2017 when Chicago won a three-game home set 2-1.
While the White Sox have nothing to play for, the Padres are still fighting for the wild-card spot in the National League. San Diego is a firm fave for Friday’s battle, so let’s take a closer look.
The Chicago White Sox outlasted the Minnesota Twins 4-3 on Thursday afternoon to avoid a sweep in a three-game road set and put an end to their eight-game losing streak. During that awful stretch, the Chi Sox have allowed 50 runs while scoring just 21 in a return. Over their last six outings and 191 at-bats, the White Sox have slashed a hideous .194/.257/.293 with four home runs and six extra-base hits.
A 2-run 3rd. pic.twitter.com/oaCgZFe69f
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) September 29, 2022
Chicago’s pitching staff has struggled, too. The White Sox’s bullpen has thrown 25.1 frames in the last ten days while posting a poor 6.75 ERA, 4.6 BB/9, and .346 BABIP. Davis Martin will take the mound Friday in San Diego, and the 25-year-old righty has been a bright spot in the White Sox’s rotation lately.
Martin is 2-5 with a 3.86 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 39/17 K/BB ratio in seven starts and five relief appearances (56 innings pitched) this season. Since August 9, he’s tossed 25.2 innings in four starts and one relief app while posting a strong 2.81 ERA and holding his rivals to a .622 OPS. Last Saturday, Martin picked up a loss in a 7-2 home defeat to the Detroit Tigers, allowing three runs on seven hits across six innings.