Red Sox at Padres
The Boston Red Sox are watching their postseason hopes fade after dropping two games at home this week to the Philadelphia Phillies while putting together sloppy performances. Boston will try to keep hopes alive on the west coast when it opens an eight-game trip by visiting the San Diego Padres on Friday.
Boston managed to pick up a win on Thursday afternoon, when it finished off a suspended game against the Kansas City Royals by pushing a run across in the 10th inning to grab a 5-4 victory and avoid a three-game slide. "Yeah, I mean, we were trying to end it as quick as we could," second baseman Brock Holt, who drove in the winning run, told reporters. "Losing an off-day to be here to finish this game, we've got a long flight to San Diego, we wanted to end it as quick as possible. It was probably the best outcome that we could have had today, I think, a (12)-minute game, so we'll take it." The Padres are coming home from a six-game trip that ended up 3-3 after the club managed two runs in back-to-back losses at Cincinnati on Tuesday and Wednesday. San Diego will try to muster more run support on Friday for right-hander Chris Paddack while Boston turns to lefty Eduardo Rodriguez looking to get the trip off to a strong start.
TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), FS San Diego
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Eduardo Rodriguez (14-5, 4.10 ERA) vs. Padres RH Chris Paddack (7-6, 3.44)
Rodriguez snapped a three-start winless streak with a dominant effort against Baltimore on Saturday, when he scattered four hits over 7 1/3 scoreless innings to earn a win. The Venezuela native was knocked around for five runs and 10 hits over six frames at Cleveland in his previous outing. Rodriguez is making his first career start against San Diego and is 6-2 with a 3.61 ERA in 13 interleague starts.
Paddack is slumping of late while going winless in each of his last three starts and allowing a total of 14 runs - 13 earned - over 14 2/3 innings. The 23-year-old rookie allowed three or fewer runs in seven straight starts before the calendar turned to August. Paddock is making his first start against Boston and is 2-1 with a 2.60 ERA in three starts against AL opponents.
WALK-OFFS
1. Red Sox LHP David Price (wrist) could return to the rotation this weekend.
2. San Diego (188) needs two more home runs to break the team record.
3. Boston is 0-3-1 in interleague series this season.