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Padres Look Ahead To Game 2 After Rough Series Opener
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- Padres Look Ahead To Game 2 After Rough Series Opener
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The struggling San Diego Padres will look to get back in the win column on Tuesday night after dropping the first of four to the Arizona Diamondbacks last night by a score of 0-8. Last night's score brought Padres fans back into a cruel reality where they previously won their first game in nine tries back on Sunday.
Back in the losing column, the Friars have some work to do if permanently digging themselves out of their hole is the goal. The Padres do have Petco Park's support in their favor, where they have a 23-22 record so far this year. With Arizona's 18-25 away record, the advantage should lean towards San Diego .
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For tonight's contest, San Diego will have right-handed pitcher German Marquez on the mound facing up against the Diamondbacks' righty Zac Gallen .
Marquez will be making his first start since the beginning of May after missing significant time due to nerve inflammation in his throwing arm. He returned to the mound out of the bullpen on July 2, in which he allowed two runs and five baserunners in three innings.
This year, the 31-year-old has recorded a 5.79 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 32 ⅔ innings. Signed as an extra depth option for the club during the offseason, San Diego needs Marquez to produce positively now more than ever.
His opponent, Gallen, also isn't having an impressive year, posting a poor 6.36 ERA and 5.34 FIP across 18 starts in 2026. Gallen hasn't held an opposing lineup to two or fewer runs since May 18. In his last three starts alone, the former All-Star has given up 20 runs in 16 ⅓ innings.
As far as the rest of the squad goes, the outfield will be manned by Fernando Tatis Jr. in right field, Jackson Merrill in center, and Samad Taylor in left. The infield from left to right will be Manny Machado , Xander Bogaerts , Sung-Mun Song, and Jake Cronenworth . Catcher Luis Campusano will hold it down behind the plate while Gavin Sheets slots in at the DH spot in the lineup.
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The offense will be key for San Diego tonight, as they have scored four or more runs only twice since the start of the month. In contrast, the pitching staff has only held opponents to four runs or fewer twice in the same time span. It's no wonder why the Padres are on the skid they're currently on.
Still, this slide has to end at some point, right? They remain just one game behind the Diamondbacks for second place in the National League West and 4.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. Considering how poorly the past couple of weeks have gone for the Padres, they could be in a much worse position approaching the All-Star break.
Recording some wins before then is vital in their race back to the postseason, and tonight and the rest of this series are huge in doing that. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. PST.
