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

Ketel Marte Bids to Power D-backs Past Padres Again

Ketel Marte knows his importance to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“When I play (well), we are going to win a lot of games,” he said.

Marte’s Recent Performance

Marte played well on Thursday night in San Diego, where the Diamondbacks opened a four-game series with the Padres by taking a 4-3 win. Marte snapped a tie with a two-out RBI single in the seventh inning for Arizona, which will vie for its sixth win in seven outings on Friday in the second contest of the series.

Marte has a starting batting average of.279, has 12 home runs, and has 33 RBIs, which over the course of a full season would put him in the same range as his performance in 2023. Last year, he hit.276 with 25 home runs and 82 RBIs.

Marte started the season in fine form, rattling off a 21-game hitting streak that’s tied for the longest in MLB this year. But he carried an 0-for-22 skid into last weekend’s series at the New York Mets before figuring things out.

“It’s a long season and I never give up,” he said. “I’m the guy that works hard every day, no matter what happens. Right now, I’m just trying to help my team. I know that they need me out there.”

Diamondbacks’ Injury Concerns

The Diamondbacks need everyone they can get with a bad run of injuries to the starting rotation. Lefty Blake Walston was the latest to get bitten as he landed on the injured list Thursday, canceling out his scheduled start for Sunday.

Arizona will hope for length out of right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (2-4, 4.32 ERA) on Friday night. He’s coming off a no-decision Sunday during his team’s 5-4 win over the Mets, lasting six innings and allowing four runs off five hits and two walks with eight strikeouts.

Pfaadt is 0-1 with a 2.89 ERA in three career starts against San Diego. That includes coming out on the short end of a 13-1 decision on May 4 when he permitted five runs (three earned) on 10 hits in six innings.

Pitching Matchup

The pitcher who got the success that evening, right-hander Michael Ruler, will attempt to stop the Padres’ five-game long string of failures on Friday. Lord (4-4, 3.82 Period) got a no-choice on Sunday in a 4-3 misfortune at Kansas City in spite of working seven innings and yielding only one sudden spike in demand for four hits and two strolls while striking out four.

King’s six shutout innings last month in Phoenix, which saw him scatter six hits and strike out three without issuing a walk, marked his first career outing against the Diamondbacks.

Padres’ Struggles

San Diego, on the other hand, is not moving in the same direction as Arizona. The offense has been a problem in its five losses in a row, all of which were decided by one or two runs. In that time, the Padres have given up 17 runs while scoring just 11 runs.

After Wednesday night’s 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, the Padres spoke like a team that knows it can’t afford to continue to drop games against beatable teams. But again on Thursday night, they couldn’t do anything about it.

In the past three weeks, the Padres have been swept by the Angels and Colorado Rockies, who are a combined 32 games below .500.

Manager’s Perspective

“I can’t ignore it,” manager Mike Shildt said of his club’s record against teams below .500. “I won’t ignore and I won’t excuse it … I don’t want to make it a thing. But trust me, I think about it. It’s something we’re aware of.”

Game Outlook

As the Diamondbacks look to continue their winning ways, the performance of Ketel Marte will be pivotal. With Brandon Pfaadt on the mound, Arizona hopes to secure another victory and extend their positive momentum.

For the Padres, ending their losing streak is crucial. Michael King will need to deliver another strong performance to give San Diego a chance. The Padres must find a way to generate more offense and capitalize on opportunities.

As both teams have a lot to prove, fans can anticipate a competitive game. The Padres want to improve their fortunes and move up the MLB standings, while the Diamondbacks want to maintain their recent success. The MLB matchup looks like it will be full of important moments, outstanding performances, and excitement.