Orioles @ Padres

Who will WIN this matchup?

Baltimore Orioles (35-70)

@ San Diego Padres (49-56)

Starting Pitchers:

Hess (BAL): 1-9; 7.15 ERA

Paddack (SD) 6-5; 2.84 ERA

Last 10 Games Played:

Baltimore Orioles: 6-4

San Diego Padres: 3-7

Current odds:

Baltimore Orioles: (+240)

San Diego Padres: (-280)

• After entering the All-Star break with a realistic chance to end their 12-year playoff drought, the San Diego Padres have watched their postseason dreams take a beating in the second half of the season. The Padres hope to avoid falling a season-worst eight games under .500 on Monday when they begin a two-game interleague set against the visiting Baltimore Orioles. San Diego (49-56) nearly rallied from a three-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday following a two-out, two-run blast from Wil Myers, but Luis Urias struck out to end the game in a 7-6 loss against San Francisco. The Padres, who entered the break on a three-game winning streak to get to 45-45 and move within two games of the National League’s second wild card, are 4-11 since play resumed and find themselves seven games out of the wild-card chase.

• Conversely, Baltimore has started to play better after dropping four of its five second-half contests, going 7-4 over its last 11 games. The Orioles had a chance to record their first four-game sweep in more than two years Sunday before giving up a walk-off solo homer in the bottom of the ninth in a 5-4 loss at the Los Angeles Angels.

• Manager Brandon Hyde will likely opt for a bullpen game, assuming the club doesn’t dip into its farm system to find a starter Monday afternoon. Gabriel Ynoa (1-6, 5.75 ERA) is a candidate to open after pitching three scoreless innings against Los Angeles on Thursday, but he is 0-5 with a 6.55 ERA in seven starts this season. Jimmy Yacabonis (1-2, 6.81) got the nod for Baltimore in the club’s last bullpen game Thursday and permitted one run on one hit and two walks in two frames.

• Paddack’s five-game unbeaten streak came to a halt Tuesday in New York after yielding three runs – including a pair of homers – over five innings against the Mets. The former eighth-round pick looked every bit like a future staff ace in his three previous outings, going 2-0 while allowing a total of two runs on six hits while striking out 22 in 19 1/3 frames. Paddack has never faced Baltimore but is 4-2 with a 2.36 ERA in seven home starts and 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in two interleague outings.

• The Orioles failed to hit a home run Sunday, ending their major-league record streak of hitting multiple homers in a contest at 10 games.

• Since winning five straight at home from June 17-29, the Padres have won at Petco Park only once in their last 10 tries.

• Baltimore 2B-SS Jonathan Villar had multiple hits in each of the four games versus the Angels and finished the series 10-for-18 with two home runs, five RBIs and five stolen bases.