Series Preview: Angels @ Padres (America’s Finest City)

Angels 59-60
Padres 48-72

The last time the Angels played in San Diego, Mike Trout was in the middle of his 2012 Rookie of the Year campaign. In fact, the two teams have little history with each other, having only faced each other every three years dating back to 2006. The Padres hold the all-time standings in matchups by a tally of 15 wins to 13 wins. The Angels are just 2-4 in their last six against the Friars.

On paper, these two teams aren’t that far off from each other in the second half in term of pitcher ERA, runs scores, and batting average. In the standings, though, it’s a different story. However, I wouldn’t expect the Padres to be complete pushovers; so far in August they have split a 4 game set with the Cubs and have won series against the Brewers and Phillies.

Keep in mind that Ohtani will play little outside of a few pinch hit spots as the Angels will sacrifice the designated hitter going into an NL ballpark.

Know your foe:
Padres - who’s hot (last 7 days):

Austin Hedges .500 OBP, 1 home runs, 2 stolen bases
Travis Jankowski .500 OBP, 4 stolen bases
Corey Spangenberg .458 OBP, 1 triple, 1 stolen base
Franmil Reyes .348 OPB, 2 home runs
Hunter Renfroe .357 OBP, 3 home runs, grand slam

Weather Forecast

GAME 1

Andrew Heaney (3.96 ERA) v. Clayton Richard (5.13 ERA)
Monday, August 13th @ 7:10PM

Pitcher vs. Batters

Notable Stats

Summary:

Heaney has given up 9 runs and 14 hits in his last 11 innings so he’ll be looking for a nice rebound against a free swinging Padres team. Heaney has not yet won a road game this year with 10 starts and an 0-5 record along with a 5.30 ERA.

Pitch Arsenal:

Clayton Richard is the sole veteran the Angels will be facing in this series. Justin Upton has seen plenty of him in the past and has hit him well. Richard hasn’t gone deep in many games lately and has an ERA of 10 over his last 4 starts.

Pitch Arsenal:

Verdict: Heaney definitely has the edge here and I’d look for him to rack up some strikeouts.

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GAME 2

Jaime Barria (3.59 ERA) v. Brett Kennedy (13.50 ERA)
Tuesday, August 14th @ 7:10PM

Summary:

The more I see Jaime Barria, the more I’m impressed with his finesse and ability to miss bats. The Padres’ greater weakness has been against power pitchers, of which Barria certainly is not. It is to be seen how his finesse plays out at Petco.

Pitch Arsenal:

Brett Kennedy has only made one big league start in his career and he gave up six runs in four innings. For AAA El Paso this year he had a 2.72 ERA and 10-0 record in 16 starts.

Pitch Arsenal:

Verdict: This is probably the game I’d be most worried about, given the Angels track record with Cy Rookies.

GAME 3

Felix Pena (4.95 ERA) v. Robbie Erlin (3.36 ERA)
Wednesday, August 15th @ 6:10PM

Summary:

Felix Pena is coming off a pair of respectable starts against Cleveland and Oakland. Respectable, but not great as he allowed five runs over 11 innings and gave up three long balls.

Pitch Arsenal:

Robbie Erlin was pitching out of the bullpen most of the year and has only started three games. Erlin tossed five innings with three earned runs in each of his last two starts, giving up nine hits combined.

Pitch Arsenal:

Verdict: Erlin has been pretty good for the Padres this year and Pena has been alright. Could be a toss up game.

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Overall Verdict: The Angels should walk away with two wins here but don’t expect a sweep. The Padres haven’t lost a series yet this month and they’ve played some good teams.

Current Standings