Padres Weekly Watch: A visit from the Braves, road trip to Arizona

The San Diego Padres get a visit from the Atlanta Braves and take a trip to face the Arizona Diamondbacks this week.

The San Diego Padres don’t catch a break this week after battling against the Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend. Through more than half of April now, we’ve seen some good and bad out of this ball club.

Whatever early conclusions you want to draw about them may be wrong, though. They play through this week with no days off against two clubs they have already seen in 2023. How will they do in this pair of rematches?

DIRECTV carries the most local MLB games, so die-hard baseball fans with the CHOICE package or higher can stay connected to their teams all season long with their regional sports networks, where available (Blackouts and additional fees may apply). 

Here’s what Padres fans should be watching for this week:

Apr. 17 Padres vs. Braves

The Padres continue their homestand with three games against the visiting Atlanta Braves. This looked like a tough series to begin the year. However, after losing to Atlanta 7-6 in the first of four out in Georgia, the Padres managed to come back and win the next three including a 10-2 clobbering on Sunday Night Baseball. The Padres do seem like they’re trying to figure out exactly who they are. Starting off the series right with a win against the Braves is one way to feel good about yourself.

Apr. 18 Padres vs. Braves

Game two of the series should feature Blake Snell on the mound for the Padres. He hasn’t been good this year for the Padres. They’ve lost all three of his starts. Now 0-2 with a 6.92 ERA on the season, he’ll look to get some revenge on the Braves who hammered him for four earned runs in 3.2 innings of work. Getting Snell on the right track is essential for the Padres this year. Someone needs to tap him on the shoulder and remind this man he’s a free agent pitching for his next contract.

Apr. 19 Padres vs. Braves

The three-game series concludes with what projects to be a pitching matchup between Nick Martinez and Charlie Morton. Martinez hasn’t been sharp for the Padres, however, they did manage to defeat Morton the last time they faced him. He’ll come into this game with a 2-1 record and 3.86 ERA. When he pitched against San Diego on April 8, a third-inning home run from Juan Soto got the scoring started. The Padres would go on to score against him twice more on fielder’s choices. While they didn’t knock him around, they did find ways to get on top and stay there for good.

Apr. 20 Padres vs. Diamondbacks

After the Atlanta visit, the Padres grab their travel bags and head off to the desert for four versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. They split their two-game series earlier in the month. This matchup looks to feature Michael Wacha against Ryne Nelson. Despite the 6.06 ERA, Wacha is 2-1 this season. Fans aren’t quite sure what to make of him. He gave the team 6 strong on April 8 versus the Braves when he held them scoreless while striking out 10. His last time on the mound, the Brewers had 11 hits and added 7 earned runs to his stat sheet. Notably, his two weaker starts took place at home. This one is on the road. Is Wacha a road warrior in 2023? We’ll see.

Apr. 21 Padres vs. Diamondbacks

Friday night’s matchup is a little too distant to know for sure who will start these games for sure. The Padres are continuing to go through their rotation without Joe Musgrove who continues the recovery process. Regardless of who is on the mound for either club, the Padres hitters need to liven up. Xander Bogaerts has looked spectacular and even Nelson Cruz has been productive while splitting the DH role with Matt Carpenter. Overall, the lineup has been well-tamed by most pitchers they’ve faced. Even if they’re against Zac Gallen in this game, they need to start hitting with more consistency.

Apr. 22 Padres vs. Diamondbacks

Saturday may be Yu Darvish against Merrill Kelly. It’s always a good time for Padres fans when Darvish is on the mound. He’ll definitely need some help from the bats. Soto remains the guy who needs to get going most. He’s hardly alone. Manny Machado hasn’t looked like he’ll be the MVP runner-up again this year or even in the conversation. Jake Croneworth is off to a slow start but has shown signs of heating up. Let’s not even talk about the catcher spot. By the time we get to this series, the Padres will need to be a little closer to the top of the division. They’ve spent many of the first few weeks hovering around .500. Taking as many wins as they can from the inferior Diamondbacks is a must.

Apr. 23 Padres vs. Diamondbacks

We conclude on Sunday at a point where the National League West could look drastically different or very much the same. The Diamondbacks have somewhat quietly gotten off to a good start. Geraldo Perdomo and Josh Rojas have been two of their more productive hitters in the early going. Although successful early on, it’s hard to see how they can hang with some of the other teams within the division. This series needs to at least be a split for San Diego. If they perform badly against the Braves, they may need to win a third game. Just hope they don’t get too caught looking ahead to their next series.