Padres vs Mariners: Series Preview, Key Injuries, Bold Predictions for April 14-16

Coming off a four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies, the San Diego Padres are now getting ready to take on the Seattle Mariners in the first series of this year's Vedder Cup battle.

San Diego will be welcoming Seattle to town for a three-game series in front of the Petco Park faithful as they look to continue their winning ways.

San Diego has a record of 10-6 on the season, having won five straight games entering Tuesday's matchup with Seattle. After a slow start, the Padres have played much more sound baseball over the last few series against the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates and Rockies.

As for the Mariners, they are playing a little better baseball as of late, having won their last series against the Houston Astros. Seattle owns a record of 7-9 on the season after a slow start to the year.

The Padres went 1-5 against the Mariners last season. This will be the first chance for the team to face the Mariners this year, before San Diego travels to Seattle in May.

Padres vs Rockies Pitching Probables

Tuesday, April 14: RHP Michael King vs. RHP Bryan Woo

Wednesday, April 15: RHP Randy Vásquez vs. RHP Emerson Hancock

Thursday, April 16: RHP Walker Buehler vs. RHP Luis Castillo

In the first game of the series, San Diego will be giving the ball to King, who has been solid for the team so far. King owns an ERA of 3.24 through three starts, looking like the healthy 2024 version of himself.

Vásquez, who gets the ball in the second game, has been the ace that the Padres have needed thus far. The right-hander has put up an ERA of 1.02 over three starts, showing pure dominance on the mound.

Finally, Buehler gets the final game for the Padres, and he will be looking to build upon his strong outing against the Rockies. Overall, he owns an ERA of 4.97 over three starts for San Diego.

Key Injuries

The new big injury for the Padres involves right-hander Nick Pivetta, who left his Sunday start with right elbow stiffness. While he wouldn't have pitched in this series, the team will provide an update on him on Tuesday ahead of the series opener.

Pivetta has posted an ERA of 4.50 over four starts this season — but has allowed just two runs over his last 13 innings.

The Padres placed right-handed pitcher Jeremiah Estrada on the 15-day injured list over the weekend with right elbow tendinitis. Estrada has registered an ERA of 5.14 across seven innings.

Relief pitcher Jason Adam made his season debut against the Rockies. Adam had been recovering from a ruptured quad tendon.

Infielder Sung-Mun Song continues to make progress on his rehab assignment, while right-handed pitcher Matt Waldron could be nearing a return, especially if Pivetta is forced to go on the injured list.

As for the Mariners, they're playing without right-handed pitcher Bryce Miller, who opened the year on the injured list with an oblique injury. Moreover, outfielder Victor Robles was placed on the IL last week with a pec strain. Former Padre Connor Joe took his spot on the roster.

Bold Prediction

With the Padres playing stronger baseball of late, it would be easy to say that things will continue against the Mariners. But Seattle does have a strong pitching staff, and this could cause some issues for San Diego.

San Diego will lose two of three games against the Mariners, with the offense slowing down a little bit. The Mariners have started to play up to par as well, and Seattle willbring this to Petco Park.

King and Buehler will struggle for the Padres, resulting in losses. But Vásquez continues to shine, helping San Diego grab one game in this series.