Padres resting star players at Chase Field as D-backs play for postseason lives

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks are treating Saturday’s game against the San Diego Padres like an elimination game as they fight for their postseason hopes.

The Padres, who clinched the top NL Wild Card spot on Friday with a 5-3 win at Chase Field, are slowing up to manage workloads before the playoffs.

Rookie right-hander Randy Vasquez (5.18 ERA) will start after getting recalled from Triple-A El Paso, and star players Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth, Jackson Merrill and Luis Arraez are not in the batting order. Arraez sits out while contending for the NL batting title, as he norrowly leads Los Angeles’ Shohei Ohtani .314 to .309.

There is still plenty of talent in San Diego’s starting nine to face D-backs left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, including Manny Machado, Jurickson Profar and Xander Bogaerts.

Former Diamondbacks David Peralta and Nick Ahmed, who were traded and released by the club, respectively, have the chance to play spoiler, as well. The phrase “revenge game” comes up all too frequently from sports fans, but this may be an apt use.

“We’re not going to take it for granted,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “They’ve got two players in particular who are former players here that I know are incentivized to go out and take care of business.

“I know their leadership qualities, and I’m sure they’re relaying all the words around that clubhouse like, ‘Let’s go. Let’s make this happen.’ We are not — just because there’s no Tatis, Arraez and Merrill in the lineup — we’re not taking it lightly. We know it’s a Major League Baseball team that wants to go out and win and potentially embarrass us, and we’re gonna play our best game today.”

Torey Lovullo on facing the Padres while they sit starters. pic.twitter.com/vI1AlXmBw3

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) September 28, 2024

Peralta is batting .323 against Arizona in 67 plate appearances since getting traded to Tampa Bay in 2022.

Ahmed, who was cut last September before Arizona’s postseason run, is 4-for-11 against his former club this season.

Vasquez’s ERA may be gaudy, but he put together a pair of quality starts against the D-backs earlier this season, totaling 13 innings and five earned runs. He allowed nine earned runs to the Rays in his most recent MLB start on Aug. 31 to ran his numbers up.

All of this to say Saturday presents a great opportunity for the Diamondbacks to get the upper hand against a team not at 100%, but the Padres are far from a pushover.

“Padres are a good baseball team, I don’t care what lineup they put out there,” Lovullo said. “They were fighting for potential home field, and both teams knew it. Now, we’re fighting for something entirely different, and we just got to keep going out there and doing what we do best.”

The Diamondbacks made one change to the lineup, replacing Pavin Smith with center fielder Jake McCarthy in the outfield while Corbin Carroll moves back to right.

The Diamondbacks can clinch a postseason spot with two wins to close the regular season paired with either a New York Mets loss in Milwaukee or an Atlanta Braves loss to the Kansas City Royals. A split would tighten that window and unlock a new group of scenarios.

Padres lineup

DH Jurickson Profar
1B Donovan Solano
3B Manny Machado
SS Xander Bogaerts
2B Nick Ahmed
LF David Peralta
C Kyle Higashioka
CF Brandon Lockridge
RF Tyler Wade

Diamondbacks lineup

RF Corbin Carroll
2B Ketel Marte
DH Joc Pederson
1B Christian Walker
LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
CF Jake McCarthy
3B Eugenio Suarez
C Gabriel Moreno
SS Geraldo Perdomo

Rodriguez is looking to bounce back after allowing five earned runs in 4.2 innings Monday against San Francisco. Ryne Nelson will be available in the bullpen.

First pitch is at 5:10 p.m. on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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