Padres at Diamondbacks
An intriguing pitching matchup highlights the rubber game of a three-game series between the visiting San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday. The Padres will turn to rookie standout Joey Lucchesi, who has been scintillating over his first four career starts, while the Diamondbacks aim for the series win behind fellow southpaw Patrick Corbin, who is coming off his first career shutout.
The Padres took the series opener before falling 6-2 on Saturday, as A.J. Pollock homered and added an RBI single to pace a 10-hit attack for Arizona. The Diamondbacks have won a team-record six straight series to begin the campaign and Sunday offers up an opportunity for another from a team that has gone 32-13 against divisional foes since Aug. 25, 2017. The Padres have dropped four of five since winning a season-high three in a row and scored four runs or fewer in every game during the 1-4 swoon. Signed to a $144-million deal this offseason, Eric Hosmer was 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in Saturday's loss and is 3-for-29 over a seven-game stretch.
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, FS San Diego, FS Arizona
PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres LH Joey Lucchesi (2-0, 1.66 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks LH Patrick Corbin (3-0, 1.65)
Lucchesi has 25 strikeouts and four walks in 21 2/3 innings after punching out nine batters over six solid innings of a win over San Francisco last Sunday. The 24-year-old has surrendered only one home run so far in his first taste of the majors and it came at Coors Field two starts ago. Opponents are batting .221 with a .253 on-base percentage against Lucchesi.
Corbin struck out eight and yielded one hit in his shutout of the Giants on Tuesday, improving to 3-0 with a 0.82 ERA at home this year. He has 28 strikeouts and nine hits allowed in 22 innings at Chase Field after going 9-4 with a 3.15 ERA in 17 home starts last year. Wil Myers is 9-for-19 with a home run and Jose Pirela is 4-for-5 with two doubles against Corbin, who has a 4.48 ERA in 16 career games (11 starts) against San Diego.
WALK-OFFS
1. Hosmer struck out 104 times in 162 games last season with Kansas City but is on pace for over 200 strikeouts this year.
2. Pollock is batting .342 with six homers and 16 RBIs over his last 20 games against the Padres.
3. San Diego CF Franchy Cordero has a home run, a double, a single and a walk through the first two games of the series.