The San Diego Padres bring a five-game winning streak into San Francisco on Thursday night as the trade deadline looms, with Giants left-hander Robbie Ray expected to make what could be his final start for the team before being dealt to a contender. The matchup carries unusual weight for late July, pitting a Giants club that appears certain to sell against a Padres team that has spent the week looking more and more like a buyer.
The Giants have slipped out of contention despite a lineup that, on paper, should score far more runs. San Francisco ranks sixth in the majors with a.254 team batting average, yet the club is 21st in runs scored with 457, and its on-base percentage ranks 23rd despite a slugging percentage that remains among the best in baseball. Pitching has not provided a reliable safety net: the staff carries a 4.36 ERA, and a bullpen ranking in the bottom third of the league has posted a 4.37 ERA.
Ray has been one of the few bright spots in San Francisco. The veteran left-hander is 9-6 with a 3.16 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP, and he has been far more effective at home, where his ERA is 2.22, than on the road, where it climbs to 4.35. That split has followed him into the trade market, with contending teams weighing how he would perform away from Oracle Park. Ray has not faced the Padres this season, though San Diego hitters have handled him well over the years, batting.273 in 110 career at-bats against him.
The Padres arrive with their own frustrations. At 55-53, they remain a winning team, but a roster full of marquee names has underperformed expectations. Manny Machado has only recently climbed above the.200 mark, Fernando Tatis Jr. has managed just eight home runs, and Xander Bogaerts is hitting.218. Injuries have depleted the pitching staff and lineup, which helps explain why the club has not looked like the powerhouse it was expected to be.
The five-game winning streak, built largely on strong relief work, has changed the conversation around the team. The Padres have leaned on their bullpen during the stretch, and reports from San Diego suggest the front office is now leaning toward adding pieces rather than selling, believing the club can compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers over the final two months.
JP Sears will start for the Padres, another reflection of the team's injury problems. Sears has a 3.86 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in six appearances, five of them starts, and he has not thrown more than five innings in any start this month. The Padres bullpen, one of the better units in the league, is likely to be called on early, with the plan appearing to be getting Sears through the lineup twice before turning the game over to relievers.
Ray's situation adds another layer of intrigue to the night. With the trade deadline only days away, this is probably the last time he will take the mound in a Giants uniform, and a strong outing would only raise his value on the market. The Padres entered the night as the clear favorites, and they will try to stretch their streak to six and carry that momentum into the busiest stretch of the season.
