Padres look to take advantage of home cookin' vs. Orioles

Sunday's 7-2 loss at the Minnesota Twins capped a disappointing 2-4 road trip for the San Diego Padres, putting them two games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West.

But on paper, the last 25 games of the season, with 16 at home beginning Monday with a late-afternoon visit from the Baltimore Orioles, could bring San Diego (76-61) its first division title since 2006.

That's because the Padres have thrived at Petco Park, their bayside ballyard where sellout crowds and home team wins are rule rather than exception. Their 43-22 record at home has allowed them to absorb a losing road mark (33-39) and stay in playoff position and division title contention.

"We've got amazing fans and we've got a great vibe there," San Diego manager Mike Shildt said. "We're comfortable there, we have the energy there and we perform well there. We're excited about getting home."

No team in baseball has suffered fewer home losses than the Padres. But their road record doesn't augur well for postseason, where teams usually have to prove they can win a game or two in the face of raucous crowds.

"The energy at home is incredible and we've got to find a way to match that on the road," left fielder Gavin Sheets said. "To play in front of 48,000 at home and it's rocking, it's easy to gear up for that. ... We've just got to find a way to do that on the road."

That won't be right-hander Dylan Cease's problem in the series opener. Cease (6-11, 4.82 ERA) has earned all of his victories at Petco, including his last three starts there. He's coming off a no-decision Tuesday night in a 7-6 win at Seattle, allowing four runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Cease is 3-1 with a 3.82 ERA in six career starts against Baltimore, striking out 45 in 35 1/3 innings.

Opposing him will be right-hander Kyle Bradish (0-1, 3.00), making his second start of the year after missing the first five months while he recovered from Tommy John surgery. Bradish pitched well in a 5-0 loss to Boston on Tuesday night, fanning 10 and walking none over six innings while allowing four hits and two runs.

"We haven't seen stuff like that out of the rotation all year," Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said. "This is the type of guy that if he stays healthy, it's ace-type stuff. It's ace-type pitch-ability, it's absolutely an ace mentality."

Bradish's absence isn't the entire reason Baltimore (61-76) has been surprisingly bad this year, but the Orioles sure have missed his ability. Their starting pitching has failed to get deep into games and a powerful lineup hasn't played up to its ability.

Sunday's 13-2 loss to San Francisco, the team's ninth in 11 games, was emblematic of the season. Starter Tomoyuki Sugano was knocked out after 3 1/3 innings, 10 hits and seven runs. The offense produced nothing until the team trailed 13-0 in the ninth.

Mansolino, who took over for the fired Brandon Hyde on May 17, has guided the team to a 46-48 mark.

This will be the first time that Padres Ryan O'Hearn and Ramon Laureano, who were traded from Baltimore at the July 31 deadline, will face their former team.

--Field Level Media