![MLB: San Diego Padres at St. Louis Cardinals](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/24084651.jpg)
The San Diego Padres will look to reignite their offense on Friday once they open a three-game collection towards the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Padres settled for a break up of their four-game collection towards the host St. Louis Cardinals after being restricted to simply three hits in a 4-1 setback on Thursday.
Rookie Jackson Merrill supplied the lone vivid spot after going deep within the fifth inning for his twentieth homer of the season. Merrill has hit safely in 12 of his previous 14 video games and is batting .311 (28-for-90) with seven homers and 22 RBIs this month.
San Diego was unable to muster a lot else on Thursday; nevertheless, supervisor Mike Shildt was fast to credit score his staff’s competitiveness.
“You do not have to win to have coronary heart,” Shildt stated. “These guys give every thing they’ve. Their guys threw the ball fairly properly. I like how the fellows went about issues this entire collection. If there is a comfort prize, they battled their tails off on daily basis. We had some alternatives, we simply could not money in.”
The Rays did not money in whereas limping to the tip of their current 10-game street journey. Tampa Bay fell for the fifth time in seven video games with a 6-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.
San Diego will strive its luck towards right-hander Taj Bradley (6-8, 3.77 ERA), who has surrendered seven homers throughout his five-start winless skid. He misplaced 4 straight outings earlier than escaping with a no-decision on Saturday after permitting six runs (5 earned) on seven hits — together with two homers — in six innings towards the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Bradley, 23, has but to face the Padres in his profession.
San Diego will counter with left-hander Martin Perez (3-5, 4.60), who’s 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 5 begins since being acquired by the Padres from the Pittsburgh Pirates. He obtained his second straight no-decision on Sunday after permitting one run on 4 hits in 3 2/3 innings towards the New York Mets.
Perez, 33, is 4-7 with a 5.98 ERA in 19 profession appearances (16 begins) towards Tampa Bay.
Perez can be smart to maintain a eager eye on Josh Lowe, who has answered a pronounced hunch on the plate by going 4-for-12 with two solo homers in his previous three video games.
Lowe’s current success on the plate pales compared to the excellent news he obtained just lately. His mom, Wendy, who’s battling mind most cancers, was instructed by her physician that her tumor is lowering in dimension.
“To take it in a distinct route outdoors of baseball, I talked to my mother a couple of days in the past on the telephone and she or he went to the physician and had a very good go to just lately,” Lowe instructed Bally Sports activities Solar. “That simply kinda modified my perspective about every thing. We’re simply taking part in a sport. We’re so blessed to be right here. There’s larger issues in life, issues which might be extra essential — and that simply freed me up a bit.”
–Discipline Stage Media