The San Diego Padres bring a five-game winning streak, the longest current burst in the majors, into Friday night’s opener of a three-game series with the host Miami Marlins.
The Padres capped a three-game sweep of the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday with a 7-6 win and have won 14 of their past 16 games.
All of this winning has happened thanks to several players who have Miami ties. The list includes superstar third baseman Manny Machado, two-time batting champ Luis Arraez, reliever Tanner Scott and infielder Donovan Solano.
Arraez, whom the Marlins dealt to the Padres in May, had the key hit — a ninth-inning RBI double — in Thursday’s win.
“A great squad strikes again,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said after San Diego rallied with three runs in the ninth. “We’re hungry for competition. Hungry to win games.”
Arraez won a batting title for the Minnesota Twins in 2022, hitting .316. He then won a batting crown for the Marlins last year, hitting .354.
Arraez is leading the National League again this year, albeit with a .303 average.
Machado, a Miami native, is not yet playing up to his high standards. He has 18 homers, including one on Thursday. But that still means he has work to do if he wants to reach 30 for the eighth time in his career.
Solano, who started his career with the Marlins (2012-15), has been solid, posting a .782 OPS.
Scott, who had 18 saves and a 1.18 ERA when the Marlins traded him to San Diego on July 30, has struggled with the Padres. He has a 6.75 ERA (two runs in 2 2/3 innings) in three games with the Padres.
Another newcomer, left-hander Martin Perez (2-5, 4.96 ERA), will be making his second start for the Padres to open the series. In his first outing since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Perez came away with a no-decision in Diego’s 3-2 win over Colorado on Saturday. Perez allowed just one run in six innings and struck out seven. It’s the only run he has allowed over this past 12 innings, dating back to his final start for the Pirates.
Perez has faced the Marlins four times, three as a starter, and is 1-1 with a 3.12 ERA. His first start this season came against them, when he surrendered just one run despite giving up six hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings of a no-decision.
The Marlins will go with right-hander Edward Cabrera (2-3, 5.96).
With starting catcher Nick Fortes recently placed on the injured list, there’s a good chance Cabrera will throw to Ali Sanchez. For his career, Cabrera has a 4.07 ERA in 25 games throwing to Fortes. But in two games throwing to Sanchez, Cabrera has a promising 2.61 ERA.
Cabrera has faced the Padres just once, blanking San Diego over four innings but getting no decision.
Injuries have been one of Cabrera’s biggest problems. He has never made more than 20 starts in his three previous seasons, and Friday will be his 12th in 2024. His high rate of walks — 5.3 per nine innings for his career — is another issue.
Cabrera does have good stuff, however, as his career-best 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings this year can attest.
The Marlins enter the weekend after losing three of four games to the visiting Reds, including a 10-4 defeat in 10 innings on Thursday.
A bright spot for the Marlins was Vidal Brujan, who made two sensational catches on Thursday despite making his first start in right field this season.
“When you get a spot start, that’s what you need to do,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “He provided excellent defense.”
–Field Level Media
