The San Diego Padres look to secure a winning home stand against the Pittsburgh Pirates starting Friday night at Petco Park. Here’s a glimpse at what’s in store for the Gaslamp Quarter this weekend.

The Padres (31-23, 2nd in NL West) concluded a series in which they took two out of three games from the Miami Marlins. The Friars looked to sweep the Fish, but couldn’t hang to a five run lead in the fifth inning and a one run lead in the eighth inning. They’d drop Wednesday’s series finale 10-8 to Miami. 

Over at Chase Field in Phoenix, the Pirates (21-36, 5th in NL Central) took a three-game series from the Diamondbacks with a dominant 10-1 victory behind ace right-hander Paul Skenes.

Stemming back to last season, the upcoming series marks the fourth time in four series’ that Padre bats will luckily miss seeing Skenes in his young career. It’s also an opportunity for San Diego to secure or sweep the season series against Pittsburgh, as they swept the Bucs earlier this season at PNC Park. 

Pitching matchups

Friday: Pirates RHP Mitch Keller (1-6, 3.66 ERA) vs. Padres RHP Nick Pivetta (5-2, 2.72 ERA) 6:40 p.m. PT

The last time Keller saw the Padres was in early May. The right-hander battled through five innings, giving up five runs on eight hits while tossing 88 total pitches. He’d be handed the loss in a 9-4 San Diego victory. As for Pivetta, he has yet to see the Pittsburgh lineup this season. The veteran starter maintained his status as one of the National League’s top arms  in his most recent start against the Atlanta Braves on May 23, tossing six innings of one-run baseball while striking out seven Braves hitters.

Saturday: Pirates LHP Bailey Falter (3-3, 3.47 ERA) vs. Padres RHP Dylan Cease (1-3, 4.58 ERA) 6:40 p.m. PT

Bailey Falter mowed down San Diego batters in his start against the Padres on May 3. The lefty struck out six Friars, as the only blemish on his line was a Manny Machado homer with one out in the seventh inning that would serve as a catalyst to a 2-1 win for the Padres. Falter enters the series with good numbers against right-handed hitters, holding them to a .180 BAA, an impressive 0.99 WHIP, and 33 strikeouts.

Padres co-ace Dylan Cease also did not pitch in Pittsburgh earlier this season. However, the hard-throwing righty seems to have found his form in his previous four starts after a rough April. Since May 7, Cease has pitched to a 3.20 ERA while notching 33 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings pitched.

Sunday: Pirates LHP Andrew Heaney (3-4, 3.41 ERA) vs. Padres RHP Randy Vásquez (3-4, 3.58 ERA) 2:10 p.m. PT

Veteran left-hander Andrew Heaney had a rough go-around versus the Friars on May 4. Heaney surrendered four runs on eight hits while allowing four walks. Padre hitters drove up his pitch count to an even 100 through 3 2/3 innings to end his his outing. Meanwhile, counterpart Randy Vásquez has been an enigma on the mound for San Diego. The righty faced the Pirates’ lineup on May 3, giving up six hits and walking five batters to only striking out three. Usually a line like that is a recipe for a loss. However, Vásquez allowed just one run in the outing, which kept San Diego’s offense in the game for an eventual victory over the Buccos.

Who’s hot?

RF Bryan Reynolds has been seeing the ball well in the last week. The switch-hitting outfielder is 9-for-24 (.375 BA) since May 22 with five XBH and seven RBI. 2B Adam Frazier has also heated up as of late. The former Padre is hitting .429 to go along with a .515 OBP since May 20. CF Oneil Cruz has powered up in his last seven games with seven XBH including four homers. Out of the bullpen, RHP Dennis Santana has been on a roll. In 11 appearances out of the pen’ this month, the 29 year-old has posted a 1.64 ERA with 13 strikeouts and has held opposing hitters to a .225 BAA. He’s also collected two saves in that span. 

3B Manny Machado and 1B Gavin Sheets have recently carried the Padres’ offense through their power and slug prowess. Both have combined for 12 home runs, 34 RBI, and a 1.910 OPS in the month of May. RHP Jeremiah Estrada has only surrendered three earned runs since May 13 and has racked up a total of 18 strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings pitched this month. 

Early takeaways

It’s in San Diego’s best interest to nab another series from a sub .500 opponent while they can. After the weekend, the Padres will embark on a three week crusade against teams vying for playoff contention this season. Those included in the span? The San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Kansas City Royals. 

For the Buccos, taking a series from one of the league’s most highly touted clubs would benefit team morale around the clubhouse. Dead last in their division, Pittsburgh finds themselves seven games behind the fourth place Cincinnati Reds in the NL Central. Not letting the ship sink any further should be a priority for the Pirates.