Padres at Yankees
The New York Yankees get left-hander James Paxton back from a knee injury Wednesday when they host the San Diego Padres in the rubber match of a three-game series. Paxton was on a bit of a roll before the injury cropped up during a start against the Minnesota Twins on May 3, placing him on a long list of sidelined stars in the Bronx.
The Yankees have barely missed a beat with so many key players on the mend but they dropped Tuesday's matchup 5-4, just their third setback in the last 15 games. Eric Hosmer slugged a three-run homer to cap the Padres' four-run first inning, and the star first baseman is batting .429 with three home runs and nine RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak. Catcher Gary Sanchez went deep for the second time this series and the fifth time in his last eight games for New York, which is aiming for its eighth consecutive series win in Wednesday's finale. Star rookie Chris Paddack will take the hill for the Padres after having his start pushed back three days due to a sore neck.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FS San Diego, YES (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Chris Paddack (4-2, 1.93 ERA) vs. Yankees LH James Paxton (3-2, 3.11)
Paddack bounced back from a rocky start two turns ago to spin six innings of one-run ball in a win over Arizona his last time out. Opponents are batting .156 against the 23-year-old, who has issued more than one walk just once in his nine starts. Paddack held Seattle scoreless in seven dominant innings in his only prior interleague start April 24 at home.
Paxton was 2-0 with a 1.19 ERA over the span of four starts before landing on the injured list. He has allowed one earned run in 22 2/3 innings at home while striking out 30 and holding opponents to a .143 batting average. The 30-year-old is 1-1 with a 2.79 ERA in two career starts against the Padres.
WALK-OFFS
1. Padres SS Manny Machado has exactly one hit in each of his last eight games.
2. Yankees DH Kendrys Morales is 2-for-22 over his last six games but he has five walks and zero strikeouts in that span.
3. San Diego RHP Kirby Yates improved to 21-for-21 in save opportunities with a scoreless ninth Tuesday.