Diamondbacks With Chance to Begin New Win Streak vs Padres

The Diamondbacks took home a tight victory in last night's series opener at Petco Park, taking down the Padres by a score of 4-3. Tonight, they'll have a chance to begin a new win streak in game two of the series. The first pitch is at 6:40 PM Arizona time.

Young right-hander Brandon Pfaadt has been a somewhat unlikely anchor in Arizona's rotation so far this season. While his ERA might be 4.32, his FIP is a mere 3.10, implying that he's had plenty of balls in play go against him.

Generally, he's been very efficient, generating plenty of swing-and-miss, and holding a WHIP of 1.08. He was bit for four earned runs in his last start against the Mets, but mainly by way of a problem inning. Besides those occasional rough innings, he's been able to keep most games under control, and pitch with good command of the zone.

He holds an impressive 71/14 K/BB over 12 starts in 73 innings. Most beneficially to this taxed rotation and bullpen, he's gone deep into games very consistently, leading the D-backs in innings pitched, and has pitched through the sixth inning or deeper in nine of those 12 starts.

With a tired bullpen, and a young rotation that frequently struggles the deeper they get into contests, Arizona will need another lengthy start out of their young righty, with at least enough run prevention to stay alive.

Across from Pfaadt is Michael King. The 29-year-old right-hander was a premiere piece of the trade that sent Juan Soto to the New York Yankees and has pitched solidly for San Diego. He has a 3.82 ERA, although his 4.59 FIP suggests quality defense has backed him up. Despite that, he's been similarly effective at pitching deeper into games, with the same 73 innings over 12 starts and one relief appearance

King features a lower-90s fastball and sinker, but his changeup is his most valuable pitch. He ranks in the 98th percentile in off-speed run value and has a slider and sweeper to complement his standard arsenal.

He's well above average in generating whiffs and has struck out 78 over 73 innings. However, he has walked an ugly 31 hitters over that period. Once again, patient at-bats will be key for the D-backs to take advantage of less-than-stellar control.

Lineups

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is out of Arizona's lineup. Gurriel's bat has been slowly coming back to life, as he's slashed .250/.318/.600 to open the month of June. He was hit by a pitch in yesterday's game, although no injury news has arisen as of this writing.

Replacing Gurriel in left field will be Jake McCarthy, with Randal Grichuk getting a rare start against a right-hander in right field.

Corbin Carroll will man center and hit leadoff again, after going an impressive 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a stolen base in last night's game. He recorded two singles and a double, all struck well, and this raised his batting average back to .201.

It's been slow going as Carroll appears to be gradually rising out of his slump, although he is hitting .280 with a .357 OBP over his last seven games. The power is still missing, although the quality of his swings and contact were very encouraging looks yesterday. As mentioned many times before, Arizona's offense is much better when Carroll is getting on base and creating chaos.

Blaze Alexander will start at shortstop, as he's been hitting .476 over an impressive five-game hit streak. He's hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games, and keeps making gradual improvements defensively. If his defense can even out to near the level his bat has been at, he will be a very versatile asset for the D-backs.

Padres third baseman Manny Machado remains out of San Diego's lineup for the second straight day, as he deals with a hip flexor strain. He hasn't been moved to the IL, and he did appear as a pinch-hitter in last night's game, where he was 0-for-1.

Donovan Solano will man the hot corner, and Luis Campusano will start at catcher. The Padres will send a similar lineup to last night, mixing in a blend of lefty and righty hitters. Former D-back David Peralta will DH again, still searching for a big revenge knock against his former longtime squad.