Road-weary Padres return home to face Dodgers (Jul 09, 2018)
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres return to Petco Park Monday to start a homestand.
Not a two-day drive through to drop off the laundry or a three-game visit. No, this is a real homestand -- seven straight games in downtown San Diego against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opener of a four-game series on Monday and followed by a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs to reach the All-Star break.
The Padres flew to San Diego from Phoenix Sunday night, ending a run that saw them play 23 of 28 games on the road over a 32-day period. Even two of their four days off were on the road. And as a final slap, the Padres' return home was delayed another two hours by Sunday's 16-inning series finale against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.
At least they won that game 4-3 on Wil Myers' home run.
The Padres went 10-18 over their odyssey. And when they were home, they lost four of five.
"I've never seen a schedule quite like this," Padres manager Andy Green said recently. "They certainly didn't do us any favors."
And the schedule makers didn't make it much easier on the Padres as they return home. They open by facing Dodgers left-handed ace Clayton Kershaw.
This will be Kershaw's first start against the Padres this season. But he has had great success against the Padres and particularly at Petco Park in the past.
Kershaw has made 32 starts in his career against the Padres. He has a 17-6 record with a 1.94 earned run average, a 0.99 WHIP and a .189 opponents' batting average against the Padres. Overall, in 208 2/3 innings against the Padres, Kershaw has 222 strikeouts against 67 walks.
Although the majority of Kershaw's starts against the Padres have been at Dodger Stadium, he is 7-2 with a 1.72 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP and a .174 opponents' batting average in 13 starts at Petco Park.
Kershaw is 2-4 this season with a 2.86 ERA in 11 starts, having lost more than three weeks after going on the disabled list following his May 31 start with biceps tendinitis. In three starts since his return, Kershaw is 2-0 and has allowed five runs on 13 hits and a walk with 12 strikeouts in 14 innings.
Kershaw will be pitching after the Dodgers scored eight runs in losing two of three to the Los Angeles Angels. Yasiel Puig homered in Sunday's 4-3 loss but also exited with a strained right oblique and is expected to be placed on the disabled list.
"I don't know how long I'm going to be out," Puig told reporters. "On the first swing, I felt something but not too much. On the second swing I try to get to that fastball and try to hit it in front and that's when I feel it.
Puig's teammates will attempt to get their sixth win in eight games by facing San Diego right-hander Luis Perdomo (1-3, 6.86 ERA).
Perdomo was recalled from Triple-A El Paso last week and allowed two runs on four hits and four walks with three strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings in Oakland. That was his first start for the Padres since April 18.
April 18 was also the last time he faced the Dodgers. He allowed nine runs (seven earned) on 10 hits and two walks in three innings that day to earn his demotion to Triple-A.
Perdomo, 25, a Rule 5 acquisition via trade by the Padres in 2015, has had almost no success against the Dodgers. Perdomo is 1-5 in his career against the Dodgers with a 9.55 ERA in eight games (five starts). The Dodgers have 55 hits in 33 innings against Perdomo, who has a 2.061 WHIP and a .369 opponents' batting average against the Dodgers.
Perdomo made 11 starts with El Paso before his recall and posted a 6-2 record and a 3.10 ERA.
