The Padres split a four game set against the Giants in a mid-week clash at Oracle park. Now, San Diego faces a scorching Brewers club in Milwaukee.
It was a battle in the Bay over the last few days, as the Padres (35-26, 2nd in NL West) stole two of four games at Oracle Park on Monday and Tuesday. The series saw back-to-back nights of bonus baseball in which San Diego pulled out some magic to beat the Giants in 10 innings. San Francisco responded by taking the latter games of the set after a six run comeback on Wednesday and riding a brilliant seven inning effort from former Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray on Thursday afternoon.
The Brewers (34-29, 3rd in NL Central) secured a series victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark on Wednesday behind left-hander DL Hall and righty Quinn Priester in a dominant 9-1 victory for the Brew Crew.
This will be the first meeting between the Padres and Brewers in 2025. The Friars won last year's season series against Milwaukee, going 5-2 against them.
Pitching matchups
Friday: Padres RHP Randy Vásquez (3-4, 3.99 ERA) vs. Brewers RHP Chad Patrick (3-4, 2.97 ERA) 5:10 p.m. PT
Both starters have identical records coming into Friday's opener. For San Diego, Vásquez looks to rebound after a tough outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 1. The right-hander gave up four earned runs on six hits while only tossing 3 1/3 innings. Chad Patrick hopes to build off his last start where he pitched six innings of two-run baseball versus the Philadelphia Phillies.
Saturday: Padres RHP Stephen Kolek (3-1, 3.47 ERA) vs. Brewers LHP Jose Quintana (4-1, 2.77 ERA) 4:35 p.m. PT
As Stephen Kolek continues to progress after transitioning back into a starting role earlier this season, it'll be interesting to see how he controls his walks. Over his last three outings, Kolek has issued seven free passes. He threw 5 2/3 scoreless against the Giants on Monday, striking out three. One of the game's most effective left-handed arms, veteran Jose Quintana is having an impressive start to his Brewers tenure. The 36 year-old was plenty serviceable for the New York Mets last season and continues to be with Milwaukee. In his last three starts against San Diego, Quintana has thrown five plus innings in each outing, striking out a combined 10 batters faced.
Sunday: Padres RHP Ryan Bergert (1-0, 2.00 ERA) vs. Brewers RHP Aaron Civale (1-1, 5.19 ERA) 10:05 a.m. PT
Padres rookie Ryan Bergert will receive his second career start for Sunday's series finale. Bergert looked alright in his first career start in San Francisco, going five innings while picking up two punch outs. The righty did give up six hits, including a two-run homer to Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos. He'll need to make a few adjustments against a hot Brewers lineup. Aaron Civale will be making his seventh start of the season. In his latest start, the righty picked up the win after allowing two runs in 5 1/3 innings of work against the Reds.
Who's hot?
Padres:
3B Manny Machado is quite the commodity at the dish at the moment. The slugger launched the 350th home run of his career Thursday against the Giants. He's up to eight homers and 31 RBI on the season. LHP Adrian Morejon has not allowed a run in his previous six relief appearances, striking out six batters in five innings pitched. RHP Sean Reynolds deserves credit after being tasked with three innings in relief of Ryan Bergert in San Francisco. The six foot, eight inch tall righty has not surrendered a run in his last six innings pitched while striking out four.
Brewers:
LF Christian Yelich is on a tear at the dish. The former NL MVP looks back to form as he's 21-for-49 (.429 BA) since May 22, with six homers and 15 RBI. CF Jackson Chourio has six XBH in his last nine contests. RF Sal Frelick is batting .322 with a .355 OBP in his previous 15 games. RHP Trevor Megill has pitched to a 1.35 ERA with 13 strikeouts and 10 saves since April 26.
Early takeaways
The Padres look to hopefully gain ground in the NL West standings this weekend. After Milwaukee, the Friars return home for a rematch of the 2024 NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Only two games back of their rival for the top spot in the division, San Diego can only control how they perform. Taking a series before a major one would be a grand boost for the club.
For the Brew Crew, taking two of three at home this weekend would put them in good position to jump into a NL Wild Card spot. Only one game back of the last spot, Milwaukee would most probably like to start jockeying for position in the postseason picture, with just under two months until the trade deadline.