San Diego Padres vs Arizona Diamondbacks Picks and Predictions July 7th 2024

Resilient Diamondbacks Aim for Series Win Against Padres Despite Challenges

The Arizona Diamondbacks are showing incredible resilience, overcoming injuries and late-game drama to secure wins against the San Diego Padres. As they aim for another road series win, their determination and grit are shining through.

Overcoming Challenges

Injury to Ketel Marte: Despite missing their All-Star second baseman, Ketel Marte, due to lower back tightness, the Diamondbacks pulled off a crucial win. Marte, batting .284 with 17 homers and 51 RBIs, left Friday’s game early and missed Saturday’s game.

Manager’s Strategy: Manager Torey Lovullo knows the importance of managing Marte’s playing time to keep him healthy. “Maybe I’ve got to be a little better at taking him off his feet,” Lovullo said. “He wants to play, and that’s up to me to manage it a little bit better.”

Recent Performance

Road Series Success: The Diamondbacks are 3-2 on their current six-game road trip against NL West rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. They could easily be 5-0 if not for closer Paul Sewald giving up ninth-inning leads in two games.

Pitching Struggles: Arizona’s starters have had trouble going deep into games, not exceeding 4 2/3 innings on this road trip, which has put extra pressure on the bullpen.

Key Pitchers:

• Ryne Nelson: Nelson (5-6, 5.42 ERA) will start Sunday, aiming to go deep into the game and give the bullpen a break. He allowed one run in five innings against the Dodgers on Tuesday.
• Dylan Cease: The Padres will counter with Dylan Cease (7-7, 4.24 ERA), who has been inconsistent recently. Cease gave up six runs in 3 2/3 innings in his last start against the Texas Rangers but had a strong outing against Washington before that.

Padres’ Struggles

Injury Issues: The Padres are dealing with significant rotation challenges, missing both Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish. Musgrove is on the injured list, and Darvish, dealing with a groin strain and right elbow inflammation, is stepping away for personal reasons.

Manager’s Support: Padres manager Mike Shildt is fully supportive of Darvish during this time. “(Darvish) wants to make sure everybody knows he’s physically in a good spot and he’s still working on his craft, but he is going to step away right now and deal with some things on a personal level,” Shildt said.

Conclusion

Sunday’s game is crucial for both teams. The Diamondbacks aim to clinch another road series win despite injuries and bullpen fatigue. Meanwhile, the Padres, facing rotation issues, need a strong performance from Dylan Cease to avoid a series loss. This matchup promises to be a competitive and high-stakes contest.