Interleague play gives us a winning combination to start our week, with the first-place New York Yankees hosting a sweltering San Diego Padres squad. Aaron Judge leads the big leagues in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging. The Pads are No. 1 in team ERA and shutouts. This three-game set could be a memorable one.
How to watch San Diego Padres at New York Yankees
Viewing guide
There’s a cool matchup going on here: San Diego’s pitching is top-shelf stuff, and New York’s offense is undoubtedly fearsome. The visitors open this week on a five-game winning streak, trailing the defending champion and incumbent World Series favorite Dodgers by just half a game. Perhaps not quite at Judge’s level, Fernando Tatis Jr. is still off to a thoroughly ridiculous start: .328/.399/.574 lines with eight home runs and eight stolen bases, right on pace for a 40-40 season.
Padres manager Mike Shildt hasn’t needed all that much from Tatis and Co., because San Diego’s mound work has been filthy. Monday’s probable, RHP Nick Pivetta, hits the Bronx with a 5-1 record and a minuscule 1.78 ERA. Fellow righty Michael King (4-1, 2.09 ERA) returns to his home state and his original pro club for Tuesday’s outing. King won 13 games in five pinstriped seasons, mostly as a reliever, then matched that mark in last year’s debut Padres effort.
San Diego rolls out a third right-hander on Wednesday. Dylan Cease has allowed two runs in each of his last four starts, but he’s still working off a nine-run implosion against the Athletics on April 8.
The Yanks counter with the power bats of Judge and Paul Goldschmidt. This week’s hosts still lead everyone in home runs, despite a recent cooling out and an IL stint for Jazz Chisholm Jr. New York scored just 10 combined runs in a three-game series against Tampa Bay. The Yankees have lost two series in a row. Similarly, this lineup was held in check for two of three tries against Baltimore, but broke through with 15 runs last Tuesday.
Aaron Boone’s ballclub leads the AL East, though it doesn’t have to chase a juggernaut like the NL West’s Dodgers. Tuesday and Wednesday both feature struggling right-handers with inflated ERAs, but Carlos Rodón gets the call Monday on the heels of an impressive strikeout streak. The 32-year-old lefty has at least seven Ks in each of his last five starts, and four of those five starts were on the road. He’s going for his fourth straight W this time out.
Most homers in both jerseys: Dave Winfield (205 NYY, 154 SD)
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(Photo of Aaron Judge: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)
