San Diego Padres Starting Pitcher Dylan Cease has been dominant over his last two starts. The Padres dominated the Cleveland Guardians 7-0 on Saturday thanks to another great performance turned in by Cease. He tossed seven scoreless innings while punching out ten and surrendered a mere one hit. Yesterday’s great performance came on the heels of his July 13 start against the Atlanta Braves when Cease tossed six scoreless innings while punching out 11. He surrendered one hit in that start as well.
Cease is the first player in the history of the San Diego Padres to have back-to-back starts with one or fewer hits, 0 runs, and 10 or more strikeouts. San Diego’s offense has taken advantage of a great run by Cease as they have won his last two starts by a combined score of 11-0. Cease has been great this season as he is 9-8 with an ERA of 3.76. He leads the league in strikeouts and is 11th in WHIP. Will Cease be able to make it three consecutive great starts?
Dylan Cease Career Summary
Cease made his Major League debut in 2019 as a member of the Chicago White Sox. He spent the first five seasons of his career in the “Windy City” before being dealt to the San Diego Padres on March 13. The best season of Cease’s career came in 2022 when he finished second in American League Cy Young voting. Justin Verlander won the award that season. Cease has a career record of 52-43 with an ERA of 3.82.
San Diego Padres Season Summary
The San Diego Padres(51-50), as their record indicates, have been an average team this season. They sit in third place in the National League West but are only a game back of the third and final National League Wild Card spot. The Padres offense has been strong this season. They are second in batting average, 11th in home runs, and 11th in runs scored. Their offense is paced by Infielder Luis Arraez and Left Fielder Jurickson Profar. Arraez is fifth in the league in batting average while Profar is top 20 in both batting average and OPS.
The pitching staff of the San Diego Padres has been the weaker part of their team this season. They are 20th in batting average, second in strikeouts, and 22nd in opposing batting average. Cease leads the team in wins and strikeouts while Closer Robert Suarez is tied for fifth in the league with 22 saves.
When Will Cease Take The Mound Next?
Cease has no official next start scheduled with the second half of the MLB season just getting underway on Friday. San Diego closes out their series with the Cleveland Guardians this afternoon. Their road trip continues this week as they have a day off on Monday before facing the Washington Nationals for a three-game set beginning on Tuesday and a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles that gets underway on Friday. Cease should be expected to face either the Nationals or Orioles next week.
The San Diego Padres will need to have a strong second half to make the MLB Playoffs for the third time in five seasons. They are in a crowded NL Wild Card race and will need to separate themselves from the pack. Cease will be a large part of that. If he continues pitching well this season, he will help to shore up a leaky Padres pitching staff.
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