When the San Diego Padres host the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, they’ll shoot for a series sweep that would move the teams a step closer to destinies that seem certain for both.
San Diego (89-66) can wrap up a National League playoff berth by winning its game and seeing the Atlanta Braves fall to the Miami Marlins on Sunday. The Padres start Sunday two games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the NL’s first wild-card spot and three games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West.
“Whatever we were talking about down the road is pretty much right there,” San Diego shortstop Xander Bogaerts said. “It’s right in front of us. We’ve got to come in here and take care of business. We can’t control what the other teams do. But, I mean, you’re seeing the finish line.”
Bogaerts has crossed a couple of those finish lines ahead of everyone else as a member of the 2013 and 2018 World Series champion Boston Red Sox teams. He did his part Saturday night to keep the Padres on the right path to the postseason during a 6-2 win, belting a two-run homer to start the scoring.
San Diego’s seventh win in eight games also featured more strong pitching. It’s allowed only 12 runs in that span, tossing three shutouts and getting six quality starts. One came from its starter on Sunday, right-hander Yu Darvish (6-3, 3.21 ERA).
In his most recent outing on Monday night, Darvish fired six shutout innings in a 3-1 win over Houston, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out three. Darvish is 3-2 with a 3.57 ERA in seven career starts against the White Sox, whiffing 49 in 45 1/3 innings.
This version of the White Sox that Darvish will face has struggled to score runs all year and has played to form in this series, managing just two runs in each of the series’ first two games. They fell to 36-119 on Saturday night, putting them a loss away from tying the 1962 New York Mets for most among modern-era MLB teams.
Their 119 losses tied the 2003 Detroit Tigers for the most defeats in American League history.
Interim manager Grady Sizemore said the season’s remainder for his team isn’t about results, even though they are about to set a record no team wants to own.
“It’s fighting, having a good mindset, trying to stay positive,” he said. “Obviously, we do want to win. It is a big priority for everybody.”
Rookie right-hander Sean Burke (1-0, 2.25) will get the call for Chicago. His most recent outing came Sept. 15, when he earned his first MLB win in a 4-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics. Burke allowed two runs on five hits in five innings with two walks and five strikeouts.
That was in the middle of a rare three-game winning streak for the White Sox that’s been followed by four straight losses, planting them face-to-face with one of the most infamous records in sports.
“In the clubhouse, it isn’t talked about at all,” outfielder Gavin Sheets said. “In here, it’s about how we get this behind us and what we learn from it, and make sure it never happens again.”
