San Diego Padres at Chicago White Sox
- Game 1: 4:40 p.m. Friday (Padres.TV)
- Game 2: 4:10 p.m. Saturday (Padres.TV)
- Game 3: 11:10 a.m. Sunday (Padres.TV)
In the standings
San Diego Padres (83-70, 2nd in NL West)
Losing two of three in New York dropped the Padres three games behind the Dodgers in the division with nine games left in the season. The Padres are five games behind the Cubs in the race for the NL’s top wild-card spot and four games up on the Mets in the race for the No. 5 seed. The Padres swept last year’s three-game set against the White Sox in San Diego.
Chicago White Sox (57-96, 5th in AL Central)
The White Sox have lost six in a row and have a .373 winning percentage that ranks second-to-last in the majors. Their minus-89 run differential is fifth worst. They rank 28th in OPS (.675), 21st in rotation ERA (4.41) and 16th in bullpen ERA (4.06).
Trending
San Diego: OF Jackson Merrill and 3B Manny Machado both have five homers this month, with Merrill leading the team with a .933 OPS. OF Fernando Tatis Jr. has four homers and an .850 OPS, while both OF Gavin Sheets (.592) and 1B Ryan O’Hearn (.433) are struggling this month.
Chicago: Rookie SS Colson Montgomery has 18 home runs and a .218/.291/.500 batting line in 62 game since making his debut. He has three homers and a .700 OPS this month, while OF Andrew Benintendi has five homers (.940 OPS) and C Kyle Teel has four homers (.910 OPS) this month. On the flip side, 3B Miguel Vargas is hitting .115/.179/.154 in September.
Pitching matchups
Friday
Padres RHP Dylan Cease (8-11, 4.59 ERA) | The former White Sox is facing his old team for the first time since he was traded to the Padres before the 2024 season for reliever Steven Wilson and prospects Drew Thorpe, Jairo Iriarte and Samuel Zavala. Cease is coming off his first quality start (6 IP, 1 ER) since Aug. 10, albeit against a historically bad Rockies team. Cease still has a 2.40 ERA in three September starts (15 IP).
White Sox RHP Davis Martín (6-10, 4.01 ERA) | The third-year starter has thrown a career-high 132⅓ innings, more than double last year’s total (50 IP). He has a 95-to-45 strikeout-to-walk ratio and has allowed 20 home runs, but only one in three September starts (3.86 ERA). Martín’s only appearance against the Padres was a win in 2022 (5⅔ IP, 1 ER).
Saturday
Padres RHP Yu Darvish (4-5, 5.63 ERA) | The 39-year-old veteran has allowed at least three runs in his last four starts (6.27 ERA) and has just three quality starts in 13 starts since returning from his elbow injury. Darvish has topped out at 91 pitches. He has a 3.48 ERA in eight career starts against the White Sox. He last faced them in in 2024 (6⅓ IP, 2 ER) in a no-decision.
White Sox RHP Yoendrys Gomez (3-2, 4.91 ERA) | He has a 6.62 ERA in 17 ⅔ innings as a reliever and a 4.01 ERA in seven starts this year (33 ⅔ IP), all since returning to the majors in mid-August. Gomez has allowed seven homers in 51 ⅓ innings and has a 49-to-27 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He struck out the side in his only career appearance against the Padres last year.
Sunday
Padres RHP Michael King (4-3, 3.84 ERA) | He allowed season-highs in homers (4) and hits) while throwing just 57 pitches in his second start since coming off the injured list. King has at most two starts left before the Padres consider how to deploy him in the postseason. He is making his first career start against the White Sox. He has allowed five runs in 8 ⅓ innings across four relief appearances between 2022 and 2023.
White Sox RHP Sean Burke (4-10, 4.29 ERA) | He has not recorded more than one out in the fifth inning in any of his last four appearances (4.70 ERA) and has struck out 19 to 12 over that stretch, although his last appearance was as a bulk reliever (4 IP, 1 ER). Burke has a 4.59 ERA in 29 starts (100 IP) and a 3.12 ERA in 26 innings out of the bullpen. He threw six innings of one-run ball in a no-decision last year against the Padres, striking out eight against one walk.
Team leaders
- OPS: Padres—OF Ramón Laureano (.832), 3B Manny Machado (.807), OF Fernando Tatis Jr. (.805); White Sox—OF Mike Tauchman (.757), OF Andrew Benintendi (.737), C Edgar Guero (.720).
- HRs: Padres—Machado (26), Laureano (24), Tatis (22); White Sox—Benintendi (20), 2B Lenyn Sosa (20), SS Colson Montgomery (18).
- RBIs: Padres—Machado (92), Laureano (76), OF Gavin Sheets (67); White Sox—Sosa (70), Benintendi (62), OF Luis Robert (53), 3B Miguel Vargas (53).
- Steals: Padres—Tatis (30), SS Xander Bogaerts (20), Machado (14); White Sox—Robert (33), SS Chase Meidroth (13), OF Michael A. Taylor (8).
- Saves: Padres—RHP Robert Suarez (39-for-44, 3.02 ERA), RHP Mason Miller (21-for-25, 2.81 ERA); White Sox—RHP Jordan Leasure (7-for-11, 3.64 ERA), RHP Grant Taylor (4-for-5, 5.51 ERA), RHP Mike Vasil (4-for-6, 2.45 ERA).
- Holds: Padres—RHP Jason Adam (29, 1.93 ERA), RHP Jeremiah Estrada (29, 3.57 ERA), LHP Adrián Morejón (19); White Sox—Leasure (12), RHP Steven Wilson (10, 3.19 ERA), LHP Cam Booser (9, 4.82 ERA).
Training room
San Diego: SS Xander Bogaerts (foot fracture) is at the team’s spring training complex get at-bats and testing his foot in defensive drills in hopes of returning before the end of the regular season. LHP Nestor Cortes (biceps tendinitis) threw a bullpen on Tuesday. RHP David Morgan (shoulder) began a throwing program two days after hitting the 15-day injured list. He should return before the end of the regular season. RHP Joe Musgrove (Tommy John surgery) is throwing bullpens in hopes of making himself available as a reliever in the playoffs.
Chicago: LHP Martín Pérez exited Wednesday’s start in the fourth inning with left shoulder soreness and likely will not pitch again this season. OF Luis Robert Jr. (hamstring) likely won’t return this season. The pitching staff is without LHP Bryan Hudson (back), RHP Elvis Peguero (elbow) and RHP Drew Thorpe (Tommy John), among others.