Despite missing superstar shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. – who remains sidelined while recovering from mid-March surgery to repair the scaphoid bone in his left wrist – the Padres took over sole possession of first place in the National League West on Thursday afternoon by completing a four-game series sweep against the Cubs at Wrigley Field with a 6-4 victory in the series finale. Yet again, it was burgeoning ace Joe Musgrove that led the charge for San Diego, recording a season-high nine strikeouts and allowing just two runs over seven innings to collect his eighth victory of the year. The 29-year-old right-hander has allowed two earned runs or fewer in a staggering 12 consecutive starts to open the 2022 campaign, becoming the first pitcher to accomplish the feat since Corey Kluber in his penultimate season in Cleveland back in 2018.
With an offense spearheaded by veteran third baseman Manny Machado, who tallied three hits on Thursday afternoon in the Padres’ eighth victory in their last 10 games, and has emerged as a legitimate National League MVP candidate this season; the Padres suddenly find themselves in the driver’s seat in an extremely competitive division. With a pair of three-game series coming up against the division-rival Rockies and Diamondbacks, there’s an opportunity for San Diego to build up a considerable division lead heading into the home stretch before next month’s All-Star break. There wasn’t a ton of reason for optimism for this franchise just a few months ago, especially after losing Tatis Jr. unexpectedly on the brink of the regular season, but the Padres decisions to add starter Sean Manaea and lefty closer Taylor Rogers through late-spring trades have paid dividends and put them squarely in the playoff picture this summer.
Starting Pitchers with an EDGE
Martín Pérez vs. Tigers
7.0 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
22% CSW, 6 swinging strikes
Pérez allowed one run over seven innings on Thursday night in a no-decision against the Tigers. He held the Tigers scoreless until the sixth inning when Robbie Grossman delivered a go-ahead RBI sacrifice fly to right field. He finished with five strikeouts and didn’t hand out a free pass. The 31-year-old left-hander has experienced a dramatic mid-career resurgence this season in his return to Texas, allowing three earned runs or fewer in 12 of his 13 starts to open the 2022 campaign. It was a much-needed bounce-back after being tagged for seven runs (six earned) his last time out against the White Sox. He’ll carry a pristine 2.10 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 65/18 K/BB ratio across 81 1/3 innings (13 starts) into a home outing on Wednesday against the Phillies.
Beau Brieske vs. Rangers
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
23% CSW, 13 swinging strikes
Brieske authored the strongest performance of his rookie season on Thursday evening, scattering three hits and a pair of walks over seven shutout frames. He notched six strikeouts, finishing just one shy of his season-high mark. The 24-year-old rookie right-hander has held his own in his first taste of the big leagues, compiling a respectable 3.79 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 37/17 K/BB ratio across 54 2/3 innings (10 starts). He’s in line for a challenging road tilt on Tuesday against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Zack Wheeler vs. Nationals
7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
24% CSW, 4 swinging strikes
Wheeler was staked to an early seven-run lead by the third inning and wound up cruising to an easy victory on Thursday night, allowing one run over seven innings in a win over the Nationals. A fourth-inning solo homer by Josh Bell represented the lone tally against him in this one. He finished with just three strikeouts, but didn’t issue a walk. The 32-year-old veteran workhorse will carry a stellar 2.69 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 78/15 K/BB ratio across 70 1/3 innings (12 starts) into a favorable road matchup on Tuesday against the Rangers.
Hitters with an EDGE
Kyle Schwarber vs. Nationals
2-for-3, 2 R, 2 HR (15, 16), 3 RBI, BB
Schwarber came back to haunt his former organization with his third multi-homer performance of the 2022 season on Thursday evening, powering the Phillies to a blowout victory over the Nationals. The 29-year-old slugger kicked off the scoring with a two-run homer to center field with two outs in the third inning and followed it up with a solo homer in the ensuing frame. Both of the big flies came off Nationals’ lefty starter Patrick Corbin. The two-homer explosion gives him 18 round-trippers on the season and puts him on pace to easily eclipse the 25-homer plateau for the sixth time in the last seven years. If he stays healthy, he has a realistic shot at reaching the lofty 40-homer threshold for the first time in his career.
Christopher Morel vs. Padres
2-for-4, R, HR (5), RBI, SB (7)
Rapidly evolving into one of the more exciting young hitter in the game, Morel launched a leadoff homer to right-center field – his fifth round-tripper of the season – against Padres ace Joe Musgrove in the opening frame and also collected his seventh stolen base of the season in the ensuing frame. The dynamic 22-year-old rookie has claimed his spot atop the Cubs’ lineup and has done nothing but hit over the last few weeks, slashing .283/.359/.513 with 20 runs scored, five homers, 14 RBI and seven steals across 129 plate appearances since May 17. Simply put, Morel should be rostered in all fantasy formats.
Anthony Rizzo vs. Rays
2-for-4, R, HR (16), 2 RBI, SB (6)
Rizzo almost single-handedly carried the Yankees to a victory over the Rays on Thursday evening. He put New York on the scoreboard with an RBI single against Rays’ righty reliever Ryan Thompson in the sixth inning before crushing a walk-off solo homer to right-center field -- his 16th long ball of the season -- against righty Shawn Armstrong with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. The 32-year-old first baseman, who finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and also stole a base in this one, has gone deep five times in 14 games since June 1.
The App is Back! Don’t forget to download the NBC Sports EDGE app to receive real-time player news, mobile alerts and track your favorite players. Plus, now you can check out articles and player cards. Get it here!
Closing Time
Dany Jiménez vs. Red Sox
1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (11th save)
Jiménez was summoned to put out a bases-loaded fire in the eighth inning on Thursday afternoon and immediately surrendered an RBI single to J.D. Martinez. Yet, he managed to coax an inning-ending grounder from Xander Bogaerts to wriggle out of the jam with the lead intact. He came back out to fire a perfect ninth inning to preserve the Athletics’ one-run lead and net his 11th save of the season. The unheralded 28-year-old righty is locked in as Oakland’s primary closer and has converted 11 of his 13 save chances this season.
Taylor Rogers vs. Cubs
1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (20th save)
Rogers got the call to guard a three-run lead in the ninth inning on Thursday afternoon and wound up surrendering an RBI ground out to Frank Schwindel following a one-out triple from Jonathan Villar. He managed to escape the final frame without any additional damage to pick up the save. The 31-year-old lefty has recorded a major league-leading 20 saves this season.
Emmanuel Clase vs. Rockies
1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K (14th save)
Clase was called upon to protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning on Thursday afternoon and needed just 10 pitches (seven strikes) to preserve the victory and give the Guardians a three-game series sweep against the Rockies. The hard-throwing 24-year-old righty has converted 14 of his 16 save chances this season.
Edwin Diaz vs. Brewers
1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (13th save)
Díaz fired a scoreless ninth inning on Thursday night, protecting a one-run lead against the Brewers to collect his 13th save of the season. He certainly made things interesting in the process, needing a fantastic assist from Nick Plummer and Pete Alonso to cut down Hunter Renfroe attempting to score the game-tying run on a double to right field from Tyrone Taylor with one out in the frame. The 28-year-old righty has converted 13 of his 16 save opportunities this season to go along with a stellar 2.05 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 50/11 K/BB ratio across 26 1/3 innings.
Joe Barlow vs. Tigers
1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K (12th save)
Barlow came out to guard a two-run lead in the ninth inning after the Rangers’ late rally and managed to work around a one-out walk to Spencer Torkelson to hurl a scoreless frame. The 26-year-old righty has converted 12 of his 14 save opportunities this season to go along with a 3.09 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 20/8 K/BB ratio across 23 1/3 innings (23 appearances).
Gregory Soto vs. Rangers
1.0 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (2nd blown save)
Soto surrendered three runs in the ninth inning on Thursday and was saddled with a loss in an ugly blown save against the Rangers. The 27-year-old lefty was summoned to face the heart of the Rangers’ lineup, protecting a narrow one-run lead, and immediately walked Corey Seager to open the frame. He got Adolis García to ground out before hitting Kole Calhoun to put the potential go-ahead run on-base. He whiffed Jonah Heim before walking Nathaniel Lowe to load the bases. He coughed up a bases-clearing triple to ensuing batter Ezequiel Duran, resulting in his second blown save of the season.
EDGE Priority Pickup
Ross Stripling, SP/RP, Blue Jays
Stripling has quietly emerged as one of the most effective pitchers in the game over the last few weeks, allowing just two hits over 11 scoreless innings in a pair of starts since rejoining the Blue Jays’ starting rotation earlier this month. The 32-year-old righty flummoxed the Royals for five innings back on June 6 and also tossed six shutout frames last Sunday in a win over the Tigers. He’ll face an extremely tough test on Friday evening in a home matchup against a loaded Yankees’ lineup, but he’s been excellent at keeping the ball in the yard this season, and also limited New York to just two runs over four innings in Toronto back on May 2. Given his recent performance, he’s at least worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats.
Friday’s Matchup of the Day
Charlie Morton (4-3, 5.67 ERA) vs. Keegan Thompson (6-2, 3.67 ERA) - 2:20 PM ET
The Braves bring a 14-game winning streak to the Windy City for a quick three-game set against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, starting with an early afternoon matinee. Atlanta has launched an astounding 35 home runs over the course of the 14-game streak, which dates back to June 1.
American League Quick Hits: Luis Severino was scratched from Thursday’s start against the Rays and placed on the COVID-19 injured list. He reportedly tested negative later on Thursday and will travel to Toronto. It’s unclear when he’ll make his next start. … X-rays came back negative on Bo Bichette‘s right leg after he was removed from Thursday’s contest against the Orioles. He’s considered day-to-day moving forward. ... Mariners signed OF Jesse Winker avoided arbitration by agreeing to a two-year, $14.5 million contract. … Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters that Chris Sale (ribs), who threw a 32-pitch live batting practice session on Thursday at Fenway Park, will return as a starting pitcher this season. … Enrique Hernández (hip) is close to starting a minor league rehab assignment. … Wander Franco (quad) could play in a minor league rehab game for the Rays’ Florida Complex League affiliate this weekend. … Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters Thursday that Mike Zunino is dealing with thoracic outlet syndrome in his left shoulder. … Brandon Lowe has been shut down with renewed discomfort in his back. … Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said Thursday that Justin Upton is close to making his Seattle debut. … Matt Chapman was held out of the Blue Jays’ starting lineup on Thursday due to right wrist soreness. … Anthony Rendon was held out of the Angels’ starting lineup on Thursday due to a lingering right wrist issue. … Trey Mancini remained absent from the Orioles’ starting lineup for Thursday’s series finale against the Blue Jays due to a right hand contusion. … Kevin Kiermaier was held out of the Rays’ starting lineup for Thursday’s game against the Yankees due to a left Achilles inflammation. … J.P. Crawford returned to the Mariners’ starting lineup on Thursday after missing two straight games due to illness. … Ezequiel Duran hit a go-ahead, three-run triple in the ninth inning on Thursday, leading the Rangers to a comeback victory over the Tigers. … Christian Bethancourt hit a two-run single in the Athletics’ victory over the Red Sox. … Cedric Mullins went 3-for-5 with a stolen base and Austin Hays belted a solo homer in the Orioles’ blowout win over the Blue Jays. … Amed Rosario went 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI and a stolen base in the Guardians’ victory over the Rockies. … J.D. Martinez went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the Red Sox’ loss to the Athletics. … Teoscar Hernández swatted a solo homer in the Blue Jays’ lopsided defeat at the hands of the Orioles. … Francisco Mejía clubbed a solo homer in the Rays’ loss to the Yankees. … Robbie Grossman hit an RBI sacrifice fly in the Tigers’ loss to the Rangers. … Triston McKenzie yielded one run over six innings in a win over the Rockies … Tyler Wells surrendered one run over six innings in a win over the Blue Jays. … Paul Blackburn gave up one run over 5 1/3 innings in a win over the Red Sox. … Rich Hill was charged with four runs (three earned) over 5 2/3 innings in a loss to the Athletics. … Jalen Beeks fired two scoreless innings on Thursday as the Rays’ opener against the Yankees. … Clarke Schmidt struck out five batters over three scoreless innings on Thursday in a spot start against the Rays. … Kevin Gausman was torched for seven runs (five earned) over 2 1/3 innings in a loss to the Orioles.
National League Quick Hits: Tylor Megill was removed from Thursday’s start against the Brewers with right shoulder discomfort and will undergo further testing on Friday. … Aaron Ashby was removed from Thursday’s start against the Mets for precautionary reasons due to left forearm tightness. … Brandon Woodruff (ankle, Raynaud’s syndrome) will make his rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Nashville. … Max Scherzer (oblique) threw a three-inning simulated game on Thursday and will progress to a minor league rehab assignment next week. … Kris Bryant (back) is close to starting a minor league rehab assignment … Alex Cobb (neck) will start on Sunday against the Pirates. … Jordan Hicks (forearm) is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment this week .… Braves activated RHP Collin McHugh from the COVID-19 injured list. … Padres activated LHP Adrián Morejón from the COVID-19 injured list. … Starling Marte (hand) was held out of the Mets’ starting lineup for Thursday’s game against the Brewers. … Juan Soto went 0-for-4 in his return to the Nationals’ starting lineup on Thursday against the Phillies following a two-game absence due to a minor right knee issue. … Nick Castellanos went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI and Yairo Muñoz clobbered a solo homer in the Phillies’ one-sided win over the Nationals. … Mark Canha tattooed a two-run homer and also stole a base in the Mets’ narrow victory over the Brewers. … Jurickson Profar and Nomar Mazara homered in the Padres’ win over the Cubs. … Christian Yelich walloped a solo homer in the Brewers’ loss to the Mets. … Josh Bell went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in the Nationals’ lopsided defeat at the hands of the Phillies. … Connor Joe and Brian Serven notched four hits apiece in the Rockies’ loss to the Guardians. … Chad Kuhl was charged with three runs (two earned) over five innings in a loss to the Guardians. … Matt Swarmer was shelled for four runs over 3 2/3 innings in a loss to the Padres. … Patrick Corbin was torched for nine runs (two earned) over 3 1/3 innings in a loss to the Phillies.
