Juan Yepez will look to continue what has been a stellar start to his time with Washington when the Nationals host the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night.
Washington fell to San Diego for the fourth time in as many meetings this season following a 4-0 setback on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series.
Yepez had two of the Nationals’ five hits in the series opener on Tuesday, extending his hitting streak to 14 games since being called up from Triple-A Rochester. The 26-year-old is hitting .377 (20-for-53) with eight doubles, one homer, six RBIs and nine runs. He has at least one extra-base hit in nine of those 14 games.
With Joey Meneses mired in a season-long slump, Washington sent him down on July 5 and summoned Yepez.
“Hopefully I can continue to do this, and the Nats can see me as a long-term candidate,” he said. “But I just want to play as hard as I can and show I can help this team and just be around these guys, because it’s been fun.”
Yepez’s two hits weren’t enough to spark Washington’s offense Tuesday as the team went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
“We’ve been swinging the bats really well,” manager Dave Martinez said. “Let’s forget about today and come back and be ready to go (Wednesday).”
The Padres won their third consecutive contest after dropping the opener of a nine-game road trip that likely will help determine whether they buy or sell at the trade deadline.
Randy Vasquez and three relievers combined to shut out the Nationals on Tuesday. Luis Arraez and Jurickson Profar hit back-to-back home runs and Jackson Merrill had two hits and drove in two runs.
“We’re starting the second half in a very good way,” Arraez said. “We’re a good team.”
Arraez sat out the All-Star Game to rest a thumb he injured sliding on June 25. He is 8-for-21 with one homer and three RBIs in his past five games.
“The energy he brings, the burst that he has, it fires us up too,” Profar said.
San Diego right-hander Matt Waldron (5-9, 3.59 ERA) will get the start on Wednesday against rookie left-hander Mitchell Parker (5-5, 3.90).
Waldron was a hard-luck loser on Friday, allowing one run on six hits over six innings of a 7-0 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. He managed to keep the ball in the park after allowing five home runs over his previous three starts.
Waldron took a no-decision against Washington on June 24, giving up two runs on five hits over six innings in his team’s 7-6 win. The 27-year-old is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA in two career meetings with the Nationals.
Parker, 24, will be looking to bounce back from the worst start of his young career. On July 13 at Milwaukee, he did not make it out of the first inning, surrendering five runs on three hits and two walks while recording two outs.
He was coming off a stellar outing versus St. Louis in which he gave up two runs (one earned) in seven innings.
Parker has yet to face the Padres in his career.
–Field Level Media
