A pair of Cy Young Award winners will be paired Tuesday night in San Diego.
Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Corbin Burnes (1-2, 2.26 ERA) will be matched against left-hander Blake Snell (0-1, 7.36) as the Padres go for a sixth straight win.
Burnes won the National League Cy Young Award last season, posting an 11-5 record with a league-leading 2.43 ERA. He had 234 strikeouts and a 0.94 WHIP.
Snell won the American League Cy Young Award in 2018 with Tampa Bay, posting a 21-5 record with a league-leading 1.89 ERA. He had 221 strikeouts and a 0.97 WHIP.
Burnes should have the edge on Tuesday. He will make his ninth start, posting six quality starts in his first eight outings with a .190 opponents’ batting average and an 0.83 WHIP.
Burnes was 1-1 against the Padres last year, with a 3.00 ERA. He is 1-1 in his career against San Diego, with a 3.21 ERA in four appearances (two starts).
Snell, meanwhile, will make just his second start of the season.
After a slow start to spring training, he opened the season on the injured list with a strained adductor — the same problem he had during the 2021 season. In his one outing last Wednesday in Philadelphia, Snell gave up three runs on three hits and three walks with five strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. That was the Padres’ last loss.
The Brewers are at a bit of a disadvantage elsewhere, however.
Hunter Renfroe departed Monday’s series opener with “hamstring discomfort” after racing home from first on a double. Milwaukee also lost right-handed starting pitcher Freddy Peralta for an extended amount of time with a shoulder strain and All-Star closer Josh Hader for an undetermined amount of time to family medical emergency leave.
“Josh’s wife has had complications with her pregnancy, and they are at a stage where Josh did not feel comfortable leaving (her),” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Monday.
As for Peralta, Counsell said: “He is going to miss a significant amount of time. He will be back this season, but it’s going to be a lengthy absence. It’s going to take awhile to heal and then build it back up.”
The Brewers opened an 11-game trip Monday night by losing to the Padres, just their fourth loss in the last 12 games.
Padres manager Bob Melvin on Monday said he likes a lot of what he sees from his Padres, who are winning at a two-of-every-three games clip.
“Every day, I learn new stuff about this team,” Melvin said. “I love the chemistry, the camaraderie among the group. They have a lot of fun in the clubhouse, they have a lot of fun in the dugout.
“When you win, obviously the chemistry is great. Our road record (17-7) has been really good this year. The chemistry has always been here to an extent. I think it’s gotten better with the guys we brought aboard this year. I think just having success on the road early in the year is good enough and good for your confidence going forward.”
–Field Level Media