Padres at Mariners
The San Diego Padres went into the All-Star break with a .500 record and in contention for a wild card berth, but quickly dimmed their playoff hopes by losing seven of their next eight games. Now bringing up the rear in the National League West, the Padres will face another last-place club with the first of two at the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.
San Diego opened its six-game road trip by dropping three of four to the Los Angeles Dodgers, including a crushing 11-10 loss Sunday in which they blew a three-run lead over the final two innings. “This was definitely a gut punch,” said Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer, who belted a grand slam and collected five RBIs for the second time in his last six games. The Mariners followed up a six-game winning streak by dropping four in a row, including a feeble offensive performance in a three-game sweep in Houston over the weekend. Kyle Seager has hit safely in 11 of 12 games for Seattle, which managed a meager three runs and seven hits against the Astros.
TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, FS San Diego, ROOT Northwest (Seattle)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Mariners ;LH Wade LeBlanc (6-4, 5.17 ERA) vs. Padres RH Dinelson Lamet (0-2, 5.09)
LeBlanc has been successful following a closer but was shelled for six runs and 10 hits over 4 1/3 innings in a losing start at Texas last time out. LeBlanc is 0-2 with a 2.92 ERA in seven games (two starts) versus San Diego. Manny Machado is 2-for-10 against LeBlanc, who yielded two runs or fewer in five of his previous six appearances.
After sitting out 2018 while recuperating from Tommy John surgery, Lamet did not make his season debut until July 4 against the Dodgers, taking the loss after allowing three runs and three hits over five innings. He also took the loss in his following start with five innings of four-run ball at Atlanta before stringing together three straight no-decisions, including five innings of three-run ball versus Baltimore on July 30. Domingo Santana is 0-for-3 versus Lamet.
WALK-OFFS
1. Padres rookie SS Fernando Tatis Jr. has hit safely in nine straight games.
2. Santana leads Seattle with 67 RBIs but has only five in the last 24 games.
3. Machado has a six-game hitting streak and is batting .306 away from home.