San Diego @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 20, 2018 ) San Diego 5, Philadelphia 11

The Philadelphia Phillies finished the first half of the season as the National League's best home team, and that success at Citizens Bank Park has played a critical role in allowing them to position themselves atop their division. The Phillies seek a sixth consecutive home victory Saturday when they continue a three-game set with the San Diego Padres.

Philadelphia won for the seventh time in eight contests at Citizens Bank Park and improved to 31-16 at the venue following Friday's 11-5 triumph over the Padres, rallying from a four-run first-inning deficit to maintain its one-half game edge over Atlanta in the NL East. Carlos Santana did the bulk of the damage with a three-run homer during the Phillies' six-run second inning as the first four hitters in the lineup accounted for five runs and nine RBIs. San Diego fell to 1-7 during its 10-game run against each of the division leaders in the NL, dropping three of four to the Los Angeles Dodgers before getting swept by the Chicago Cubs leading into the All-Star break. Freddy Galvis tallied three hits in his first game against the team that traded him in the offseason, including a pair of run-scoring singles.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FS San Diego, NBC 10 (Philadelphia)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Luis Perdomo (1-4, 7.55 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Vince Velasquez (5-8, 4.39)

Perdomo fell to 0-4 with an 11.29 ERA in four home starts following last Saturday's loss to the Cubs, surrendering five runs on seven hits - including a pair of homers - over 4 1/3 innings. The 25-year-old has been mostly on point in three road turns, however, going 1-0 with a 2.13 ERA while not yielding a home run in 12 2/3 frames. Perdomo is allowing opponents to bat .351 against him overall as he enters his first career start versus Philadelphia.

Since giving up 10 runs on nine hits across 3 2/3 innings in a loss to Milwaukee on June 8, Velasquez has permitted a total of nine runs and 13 hits over his last five starts combined. The 2010 second-round pick turned in his best outing over that stretch in a no-decision versus the New York Mets on July 11, giving up only two hits in six scoreless frames. Velasquez has faced San Diego only once, yielding three hits while striking out a career-high 16 to record his only career shutout in 2016.

WALK-OFFS

1. Phillies OF Odubel Herrera went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the opener and is batting .354 with 11 RBIs in 18 career games versus San Diego.

2. Padres CF Manuel Margot left in the eighth Friday after suffering an apparent left wrist injury. His status for Saturday is unknown.

3. Philadelphia is 62-31 against San Diego since 2004 - the club's best winning percentage (.667) versus any opponent over that span.

PREDICTION: Phillies 5, Padres 2