Will Rogers

Now just 4-6 L10 games, I think San Diego avoids getting swept here. Unlike the first two games of the series, the pitching matchup is not in Miami’s favor today. 

While new addition Josh Bell has failed to produce thus far for the Padres, I see the team putting a decent number on the board in this matchup. After a strong start to the year for the Marlins, Pablo Lopez has really struggled. He has a 4.99 ERA in his last 13 starts and since the All-Star Break, it’s a 6.39 ERA in five starts. 

Lopez did have a strong outing against San Diego the last time he faced them. But that was back in May when he tossed eight shutout frames.

Miami is also 4-6 over its last 10 games and this marks the first time since the All-Star Break that they have won back to back games. They have been in a major slump at the plate as the last game where they scored more than four runs took place on 7/28. The Marlins only had six hits yesterday, four fewer than the Padres.

Mike Clevinger should get the job done for the road team today. The Padres are 9-5 in Clevinger’s 14 starts, which includes 6-2 on the road where his WHIP is a very solid 1.088.

The Phillies are now 7-3 L10 games after winning twice here in Cincinnati. They go for the sweep Wednesday afternoon with Ranger Suarez starting. Over Suarez’s previous five starts, the Phillies have gone 5-0. Suarez has given up just seven runs in that stretch and three of those were unearned.

The Reds, who have been out of contention all year, are 3-7 L10 games and have lost seven of the last eight. They turn to Nick Lodolo Wednesday in hopes of avoiding the sweep. But Lodolo isn’t a good candidate to play “stopper” considering he has a 4.72 ERA and 1.657 WHIP. In his last two starts, Lodolo has not made it out of the fifth inning. 

The Phillies have been a hot team for quite some time, winning two-thirds of their games since June 1st (44-22). Even without Bryce Harper, they’ve been hitting well. The lineup pounded out 18 hits in yesterday’s ballgame. At the same time, the pitching staff has allowed more than four runs only one time in the previous nine games.

Yesterday was the eighth time in the last nine games where the Reds scored four runs or less. Expect the Phillies to finish off the sweep. 9*