If the San Diego Padres want to avoid being swept by the Philadelphia Phillies and losing their sixth straight game, they better have their A-game going today at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia boasts a 29-10 home record and will have one of the best on the hill, southpaw Ranger Suárez, whose numbers are scary. Suárez is 10-1 with a 1.77 ERA and a WHIP of only 0.88 which doesn’t bold well for a Padres team that is 0-8 in their last 8 road games against a left-handed starter. The Friars will turn to Matt Waldron to throw strikes and despite being 4-6 he has a decent ERA of 3.66 with a 1.18 WHIP. Even so, the Padres are no match for the Phillies and as they do every year, they underachieve. Philly has dominated San Diego, winning 9 of the last 10 meetings, and as long as Rob Thomson doesn’t do something stupid like rest some of his superstars, the Phillies will sweep the Padres.
TODAY’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES