Padres pregame: Facing Cardinals’ Wainwright in the next big game; Cronenworth back

The Padres will face a Cy Young candidate Saturday night in a game that could very well determine whether they remain contenders this season.

“We need to get this one tonight,” manager Jayce Tingler said. “There’s no doubt about it, it’s a big game.”

The Cardinals enter the game having won six straight, including Friday’s 8-2 victory in the series opener, and with a 1½-game lead over the Padres in the race for the National League’s second wild card spot. The Cincinnati Reds are a half-game in front of the Padres.

Considering the state of the Padres’ starting pitching and the caliber of opponents, this head-to-head meeting with the Cardinals is seen as especially crucial.

Starters Chris Paddack (elbow inflammation) and Blake Snell (adductor strain) are on the injured list with no guarantee when they pitch again.

After this series, the Padres (76-71) return home to face the Giants (96-52) and Braves (76-69) and then finish the season with a six-game road trip against the Dodgers (94-54) and Giants. The Giants and Dodgers have the two best records in the major leagues, and the Braves lead the NL East.

The Padres get Jake Cronenworth back in the starting lineup for the first time in eight games. He suffered a fractured left ring finger when he was hit by a pitch on Sept. 10 and did not play until he pinch-hit and subbed in at shortstop Friday.

Here is how the current Padres have done against Wainwright in their careers:

(baseball-reference)

Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright enters Saturday’s game having gone at least six innings in 12 consecutive starts. He has gotten the decision in all but one of those games, going 9-2 with a 2.02 ERA while allowing a .195 batting average in that span. For the season, he is 16-7 with a 2.88 ERA.

The Padres are batting .213 over their past 32 games and have scored two runs or less in 12 of those games.

Yu Darvish starts for the Padres. He is the only one of their starters in this series to have been with the team for more than five weeks. Vince Velasquez started Friday, allowing four runs in four innings, after signing Wednesday. Jake Arrieta, who has allowed 11 runs in 12 innings in his three starts since signing Aug. 16, will start Sunday’s series finale.

Darvish, acquired in an offseason trade, has a 7.67 ERA in 11 starts since the beginning of July. In part due to back and hip issues, he has gone more than four innings seven times and more than five innings five times in that stretch.

But he has declared himself healthy following his past three starts, during which he has allowed 15 runs (14 earned) in 12 2/3 innings.

The Cardinals have hit .288 during their six-game winning streak.

Here is how the current Cardinals have done against Darvish in their careers:

(baseball-reference)