I think we can safely say, the opening game of the double-header went about as well as could be expected. Most importantly, Merrill Kelly had his best game since that complete game in Coors Field, tossing seven innings for the first time in the second half, and meaning we only had to use Taylor Clarke and Brandyn Garcia out of the pen. Jonathan Loaisiga is probably the only other man off the board among our relievers for the nightcap, with a preference for Kevin Ginkel, Justin Martinez and new guy Derek Law, over Juan Morillo and Gerardo Carrillo. Ideally, Mitch Bratt will give us six innings, then turn it over to the trio mentioned.
Worst-case scenario though: Arizona will end the day in at least a tie for the third NL wild-card spot, even if they lose the night cap. The Padres blew a 6-3 lead in Tampa, and have dropped four of five, losing series to both the Pirates and Rays, since a rather smug article appeared on Friars On Base, self-congratulating the Padres for turning things around: “Their veteran core chose accountability.” The slump couldn’t happen to a nicer team, between Tatis, Machado, etc. Let’s hope Tampa do their expansion siblings another favor tomorrow and complete the sweep over San Diego, while Arizona heads home and prepares to face Philadelphia.
But first, the little matter of this evening’s game. A split of the series is now assured, but of course, a series win would be much preferred. Bratt’s last couple of starts haven’t been up to much, lasting just three innings, while allowing three runs in each. Too many walks have been a problem, both in putting men on base and driving up his pitch count. His last start averaged 23 pitches per inning, the start before that just one less – not a recipe for going deep. But a night game in San Francisco is definitely a more pitcher-friendly environment, and let’s hope for a repeat of this afternoon’s victory.
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