The San Diego Padres and the Cleveland Guardians are set to clash in an interleague faceoff at Progressive Field. With the first pitch scheduled for 7:10 PM ET, this matchup features two teams navigating divergent paths this season.
Heading into the game, the Guardians are positioned as money line favorites at -139, while the Padres sit at +118. The Padres, holding a 50-49 record, are third in the NL West, seven games behind the Dodgers. Meanwhile, the Guardians lead the AL Central with an impressive 58-37 record.
Pitching Matchup
On the mound for the Padres is Matt Waldron, who has made 19 starts this season. Waldron has a 5-8 record with a 3.71 ERA, holding opponents to a .225 batting average and boasting a WHIP of 1.17. However, his last outing on July 12th was a rough one, giving up four earned runs.
Opposing Waldron will be Tanner Bibee for the Guardians. Bibee has been solid this season, with a 7-4 record and a 3.77 ERA over his 19 starts. His WHIP stands at a commendable 1.12, and he has delivered seven quality starts. Bibee also boasts an impressive strikeout rate, averaging 10.54 strikeouts per nine innings, amassing a total of 123 strikeouts so far. Like Waldron, Bibee gave up four earned runs in his last outing but had won his two previous starts before that.
Recent Performance
The Padres are coming off a 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves. Randy Vasquez started and took the loss, pitching five innings and allowing four runs on four hits. The bullpen didn't fare much better, surrendering another two runs in the eighth inning. This loss brings the Padres' record to 50-49 overall, with a road record of 24-21. They've recently struggled as underdogs, dropping their last two games in this role, and their overall record as underdogs is 21-20.
In contrast, the Guardians have hit a rough patch at home, with a 1-4 record in their last five games at Progressive Field. They've gone 4-6 in their last ten games, recently concluding their series against the Rays with a 2-0 loss. Ben Lively struck out the side in the first inning but later allowed two runs in the third.
Offensive Highlights
Jurickson Profar and Fernando Tatis Jr. lead the Padres offensively, each with 14 home runs. Profar also leads the team with 59 RBIs and has been hot, going 7/22 in his last seven games. Manny Machado has been consistent, riding a three-game hitting streak with a .231 batting average over the past week.
The Guardians have their own offensive standouts. José Ramírez is second in the league with 77 RBIs and has launched 23 home runs while batting .271 this season. Josh Naylor has also been productive, driving in 70 runs. The team averages 4.8 runs per game and has a .243 team batting average, ranking 11th in MLB. Notably, they stand 10th in the league for home runs.
Game Outlook
The over/under line is set at 7.5 runs for this game. Cleveland games average 8.7 runs, while Padres games average 8.9 runs. Notably, 58.6% of Padres games and 66.3% of Guardians games have gone over the line this season, suggesting a high-scoring affair could be in the cards.
Predictions favor the Guardians to edge out a narrow 6-5 victory, with both teams expected to record nine hits each. Tanner Bibee is projected to finish with six strikeouts, while Matt Waldron is anticipated to close with five. Bibee is expected to yield fewer earned runs than Waldron, a crucial factor that may tilt the game in the Guardians' favor.
As the Padres and Guardians prepare for this crucial interleague matchup, both teams will look to their starting pitchers and offensive heavyweights to swing the game in their favor. With playoff aspirations on the line, it's set to be an intriguing contest at Progressive Field.