Padres give key players a break as Diamondbacks fight for playoff berth. | Sports

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks are treating Saturday’s recreation in opposition to the San Diego Padres like an elimination recreation as they fight for their postseason hopes.

The Padres, who clinched the highest NL Wild Card spot on Friday with a 5-3 win at Chase Field, are slowing as much as handle workloads earlier than the playoffs.

Rookie right-hander Randy Vasquez (5.18 ERA) will begin after getting recalled from Triple-A El Paso, and star players Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth, Jackson Merrill and Luis Arraez are usually not within the batting order. Arraez sits out whereas contending for the NL batting title, as he norrowly leads Los Angeles’ Shohei Ohtani .314 to .309.

There remains to be loads of expertise in San Diego’s beginning 9 to face D-backs left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, together with Manny Machado, Jurickson Profar and Xander Bogaerts.

Former Diamondbacks David Peralta and Nick Ahmed, who have been traded and launched by the membership, respectively, have the prospect to play spoiler, as nicely. The phrase “revenge game” comes up all too incessantly from sports activities followers, however this can be an apt use.

“We’re not going to take it for granted,” D-backs supervisor Torey Lovullo stated. “They’ve obtained two players particularly who're former players right here that I do know are incentivized to exit and maintain enterprise.

“I know their leadership qualities, and I’m sure they’re relaying all the words around that clubhouse like, ‘Let’s go. Let’s make this happen.’ We are not — just because there’s no Tatis, Arraez and Merrill in the lineup — we’re not taking it lightly. We know it’s a Major League Baseball team that wants to go out and win and potentially embarrass us, and we’re gonna play our best game today.”

Torey Lovullo on dealing with the Padres whereas they sit starters. pic.twitter.com/vI1AlXmBw3

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 28, 2024

Peralta is batting .323 in opposition to Arizona in 67 plate appearances since getting traded to Tampa Bay in 2022.

Ahmed, who was reduce final September earlier than Arizona’s postseason run, is 4-for-11 in opposition to his former membership this season.

Vasquez’s ERA could also be gaudy, however he put collectively a pair of high quality begins in opposition to the D-backs earlier this season, totaling 13 innings and 5 earned runs. He allowed 9 earned runs to the Rays in his most up-to-date MLB begin on Aug. 31 to ran his numbers up.

All of this to say Saturday presents a nice alternative for the Diamondbacks to get the higher hand in opposition to a staff not at 100%, however the Padres are removed from a pushover.

“Padres are a good baseball team, I don’t care what lineup they put out there,” Lovullo stated. “They were fighting for potential home field, and both teams knew it. Now, we’re fighting for something entirely different, and we just got to keep going out there and doing what we do best.”

The Diamondbacks made one change to the lineup, changing Pavin Smith with heart fielder Jake McCarthy within the outfield whereas Corbin Carroll strikes again to proper.

The Diamondbacks can clinch a postseason spot with two wins to shut the common season paired with both a New York Mets loss in Milwaukee or an Atlanta Braves loss to the Kansas City Royals. A cut up would tighten that window and unlock a new group of eventualities.

Padres lineup

DH Jurickson Profar
1B Donovan Solano
3B Manny Machado
SS Xander Bogaerts
2B Nick Ahmed
LF David Peralta
C Kyle Higashioka
CF Brandon Lockridge
RF Tyler Wade

Diamondbacks lineup

RF Corbin Carroll
2B Ketel Marte
DH Joc Pederson
1B Christian Walker
LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
CF Jake McCarthy
3B Eugenio Suarez
C Gabriel Moreno
SS Geraldo Perdomo

Rodriguez is seeking to bounce again after permitting 5 earned runs in 4.2 innings Monday in opposition to San Francisco. Ryne Nelson might be out there within the bullpen.

First pitch is at 5:10 p.m. on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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