Both Cleveland and San Diego enter the series at 31-34 and both come into today winning their last series. The clubs not only have similar records, but similar vibes as both feel like they should be better than their current record. The difference is that the Guards are in the AL Central, in second place and only 1.5 games out of first, while the Padres are 4th place in NL West and 9.5 games out.
So far it appears that the Guardians are not going to have a huge representation in Seattle for the All-Star game. Jose Ramirez is the only player ranked in the top nine of their position and he’s currently ranked 9th in votes for AL 3rd basemen. Josh Naylor (1st baseman) and Andres Gimenez both are tenth and nobody else is on the radar for position players.
Tanner Bibee comes into today’s match-up winning his last game with a 2-1 record. RHP Joe Mosgrove has the ball for San Diego, and Mosgrove has pitched well lately only giving up 2 earned runs in his last three starts.
Cleveland triumphed in their sixth victory out of the last eight games by shutting out the Astros in the decisive match of a three-game series on Sunday. The Guardians began Monday with a 31-34 record for the season, placing them second in the AL Central, trailing the Twins by 1.5 games in the division race. Facing Houston on Sunday afternoon, Cleveland’s offense thrived with a total of 11 hits, led by Josh Bell who contributed three hits, three runs, and an RBI, while Tyler Freeman added a pair of hits and an RBI. The Guardians’ triumph featured home runs from Bell (his fifth of the season) and Andres Gimenez (his fourth). Pitcher Shane Bieber (5-3) delivered a stellar performance, pitching seven scoreless innings, allowing only three hits, with one walk and nine strikeouts, securing the win.
In this upcoming game, Tanner Bibee will take the mound, marking his ninth career start in the major leagues. Bibee currently holds a 2-1 record with a 3.05 ERA, a 1.128 WHIP, 12 walks, and 42 strikeouts over 44.1 innings pitched this season. In his previous start, which took place on Wednesday against the Red Sox at home, Bibee earned a win by pitching five innings and giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits, with two walks and two strikeouts, resulting in a 5-2 victory for the Guardians. Over his last three starts, Bibee has a 1-0 record with a 2.81 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, four walks, and 17 strikeouts across 16 innings. This will be Bibee’s first encounter with the Padres and his inaugural start at Petco Park in his major league career. In his minor league journey, Bibee boasts a 10-2 record with a 2.13 ERA, a 0.973 WHIP, 35 walks, and 186 strikeouts in 148 innings pitched over 28 starts.
In Sunday afternoon’s game at Coors Field, the San Diego Padres missed an opportunity to sweep the Colorado Rockies as they squandered a ninth-inning lead, resulting in a walk-off loss. With this defeat, the Padres’ season record stands at 31-34, placing them in fourth position in the NL West, trailing the Diamondbacks by nine games for the division’s top spot.
During the game, San Diego’s offensive contributions were highlighted by Fernando Tatis Jr., who collected two of the team’s seven hits and scored a run. Jake Cronenworth also added to the Padres’ efforts with his seventh home run of the season. However, despite these performances, it was not enough to secure the victory.
On the pitching side, Blake Snell delivered an impressive performance, pitching seven innings and allowing only one run on three hits with no walks while striking out 12 batters. Unfortunately, Snell did not receive a decision for his efforts. The loss was ultimately credited to Brent Honeywell (2-4), who came in for relief and surrendered one run on one hit with no walks and one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.
Looking ahead, Joe Musgrove will take the mound for the Padres in his ninth start of the season. After beginning the year on the injured list, Musgrove holds a 3-2 record with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.331 WHIP. He has recorded 13 walks and 42 strikeouts over 41.1 innings of work this season. In his most recent start against the Seattle Mariners at home last Tuesday, Musgrove threw five innings, allowing one run on four hits with one walk and eight strikeouts. However, the Padres ultimately lost that game 4-1. Musgrove has been in excellent form lately, with a 1.04 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP, four walks, and 17 strikeouts over his last three starts spanning 17.1 innings.
In his upcoming start against the Guardians, Musgrove will make his fourth career appearance against them. He holds a 2-1 record with a 4.76 ERA, a 1.235 WHIP, five walks, and 16 strikeouts over 17 innings of work against this team. Throughout his career, Musgrove has enjoyed success at Petco Park, boasting an 11-9 record with a 2.85 ERA, a 1.112 WHIP, 37 walks, and 240 strikeouts over 215 innings in 37 starts at that venue.
Both teams have failed to meet expectations in the first two-plus months of the season and hope to turn things around. Cleveland’s youth has struggled to match last season’s production and they dealt with injuries that have zapped their rotation of several key contributors for long stretches. San Diego, on the other hand, has a ton of high-priced talent with long track records who have simply failed to produce. We saw the Padres blow a chance to sweep the Rockies by falling Sunday in a game they led in the ninth inning. Musgrove has been solid enough of late but it’s tough to back the Padres given their offensive woes. The Guardians have been much better hitting on the road than at Progressive Field this season. Give the advantage to the visitors as they find a way to steal the opening game of the set.
Our Pick: Take Guardians and the money line!
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