Should the San Diego Padres hold on to earn a wild-card spot in the National League playoffs, they can point to their record against the Colorado Rockies this season.
The Padres (82-68) are 9-1 against their NL West rivals after Monday night’s 8-7 victory in Denver and have a 2 1/2-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks (80-71) in the race for the league’s third and final wild card.
San Diego also moved within a game of the Philadelphia Phillies (83-67) for the second wild-card berth and can keep up the pressure Tuesday night in the second contest of a four-game series against the Rockies.
San Diego, riding an eight-game winning streak, will send right-hander Walker Buehler (8-6, 4.61 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday, while Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland (4-10, 6.37) is expected to be activated from the injured list to make his first start since Aug. 19.
Freeland was placed on the 15-day IL on Aug. 24 with cervical radiculopathy, a neck condition involving nerve compression.
Colorado (55-95), which has lost eight straight games, might not have its starting catcher available Tuesday night. Hunter Goodman, who leads the Rockies with 38 home runs, left Monday night’s game with right thumb soreness suffered while sliding into third base in the sixth inning.
Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said after the game that Goodman would be evaluated on Tuesday.
Freeland, a 33-year-old Denver native and the longest tenured player on the roster, could make his last few starts for Colorado. The veteran is at the end of his contract and knows his future is unclear with his hometown team.
“There are a lot of different variables that go into it,” Freeland said. “I’m from Denver, born and raised. I’ve been with this organization for 12 years now, but we’ll see what happens. I’m not counting anything out. I’m not letting anything go. I’m open to everything.”
Freeland has not won more than nine games since going 17-7 in 2018, his second season. He has faced the Padres 27 times (24 starts) and is 8-9 with a 4.41 ERA in those games.
Buehler has faced the Rockies more than any other team in his career, going 7-5 with a 4.67 ERA in 25 games (21 starts) against them. One of those career starts was with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Oct. 1, 2018, in Game 163, which decided the NL West title. He tossed 6 2/3 scoreless innings to lead the Dodgers to the division crown.
Buehler made two starts against Colorado over a span of 12 days in April, going 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA.
San Diego has 49 runs during its eight-game winning streak and at least five runs in each of the last six contests. Monday’s win gave the Padres their fifth straight winning season, and they are aiming for their third postseason appearance in the last four years.
Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado have helped fuel the recent surge — both homered in Monday’s win — but San Diego is getting contributions throughout the lineup. Dustin Harris, who made his Padres debut on Aug. 24, is batting .326 since then.
“This clubhouse, it’s electric,” Harris said. “Showing up here every day, just all the guys on the same page, just knowing we’re going out there trying to put together a win.”
–Field Level Media
