The Arizona Diamondbacks will try to stay hot on Sunday as they got for the sweep against the visiting San Diego Padres. Despite dropping the first two games of the series, the Padres are favored at -125 to win on Sunday, while Arizona’s moneyline is +115.
At times, the Padres have shown the qualities of a serious contender this season. However, San Diego has now lost four straight games, dropping them to .500 on the year.
On the bright side, a .500 record puts them in good shape for a postseason spot. But they are still slipping further behind in the NL West standings.
Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are starting to play catch-up after a poor start to the season. Arizona has won three in a row and is 7-3 in its last 10 games. The Diamondbacks are now just one game under .500 and have put themselves in a position to claim a postseason spot.
Ray of Light
Robbie Ray will start for Arizona on Sunday as he tried to turn his season around. The 28-year-old has been a steady part of Arizona’s rotation for the last five seasons. But the 2020 campaign is quickly becoming a nightmare for him.
He’s 1-2 with a 10.59 ERA over his first four starts. Ray’s problems are his own fault, as he’s walked 14 batters in just 17 innings of work. At the same time, he’s already conceded seven home runs. Needless to say, that’s a bad combination.
The silver lining is that Ray has a good history of success against most of San Diego’s hitters. However, he’s only faced Fernando Tatis Jr. twice in his career. Tatis is carrying the San Diego lineup, hitting .310 with an OPS of 1.083.
Meanwhile, Eric Hosmer, Wil Myers, and Manny Machado have all hit multiple home runs against Ray in their careers. Myers, in particular, has been hitting up lately.
Rich Man
The Padres will send Garrett Richards to the mound on Sunday to help them salvage the series. Richards has been a key part of a solid San Diego rotation this year. In four starts, he has posted a 3.74 ERA.
In his last start, Richards tossed six innings against the Dodgers, allowing just one run on six hits. Even when he hasn’t had his best stuff, Richards has still put the Padres in a position to win.
Facing the Diamondbacks will be a different kind of challenge for the veteran. Only two of Arizona’s hitters have more than eight career at-bats against Richards. More importantly, the Diamondbacks are starting to heat up over the past 10 games.
Arizona has four regulars batting over .300, including David Peralta and Ketel Marte, who are red-hot in August. Also, Kole Calhoun has started to find his power stroke, hitting three home runs in his last five games.
Shootout
This game could be high scoring given Ray’s struggles and Arizona’s lineup heating up lately. However, the Diamondbacks will need to be at their best to overcome another subpar start from Ray. Bet on the Padres to win on Sunday.
