The San Diego Padres – now only 1.5 games above last place in the NL West – are desperately looking to put their losing ways behind them as they prepare for a cross-country trip to the nation’s capital.
Fresh off losing two of three games to the Boston Red Sox, the Friars have now dropped their past five series dating back to May 3. Over that span, San Diego has lost seven of eleven contests while sporting a team batting average of .201–they’ll hope their offense can heat up on the East Coast against a mediocre Washington Nationals rotation.
On the other hand, the pitching for the Padres has been solid since that aforementioned May 3 date, showcasing a team ERA of 2.92 in that timeframe. For the opener against the Nationals, San Diego will hand the ball to Yu Darvish, who is a 10-year MLB veteran. Darvish is 2-3 with a 3.56 ERA this season, coming off a loss against the Kansas City Royals. After Tuesday, we should also see starts from lefties Ryan Weathers and Blake Snell in this series.
For the Nationals, they have mostly been as advertised this season. At 20-27, Washington is currently last in a talented NL East division. Recently, they won a series against the Detroit Tigers before being swept by the Miami Marlins (despite being outscored by only four total runs during that series in Miami). The Nats are scrappy, but from San Diego’s perspective, they are a fantastic team to get right against.
Let’s take a look at what and who to expect for the Padres’ upcoming series in Washington, D.C.
Game 1 (Tue. May 23) – 4:05 p.m. PST – RHP Yu Darvish (2-3) vs. LHP MacKenzie Gore (3-3).
Darvish has only made four career starts against the Nationals, going 1-3 overall (1-1 when playing in Nationals Park). Still, he lost twice to the Nats in 2022, surrendering a total of seven runs. In regards to Gore, he was actually in a Padre uniform last season as a rookie where he went 4-4 with a 4.50 ERA in 13 starts for the Friars. Incidentally, that means he has never faced the Padres in his career.
Game 2 (Wed. May 24) – 4:05 p.m. PST – LHP Ryan Weathers (1-2) vs. RHP Trevor Williams (1-2).
Weathers only lifetime start against Washington came back in 2021 where he earned a win. On the other side, Williams is 0-1 against San Diego in three career starts (surrendering nine combined earned runs).
Game 3 (Thu. May 25) – 1:05 p.m. PST – LHP Blake Snell (1-6) vs. RHP Jake Irvin (1-2).
Over four games started, Snell is 2-0 versus Washington. His last start at Nationals Park came in 2022, where he pitched six innings of shutout baseball to earn the W. For Irvin (1-2, 5.50 ERA), he is still in his rookie campaign; Thursday night will be only his fifth career start.
Padres’ record against Washington
2022: 4-3
2021: 4-3
All-time: 237-264
