NEW YORK -- Padres pitcher Clay Hensley didn't need to watch even a snippet of video from his last start to know what he needs to do better in his next start on Saturday against the Phillies -- cut down on the walks.

Hensley picked up the victory in his last start against Colorado on Aug. 16, although he allowed six runs in five innings with four walks. His focus since that last start -- over his two bullpen sessions -- has been homing in on his command.

"My goal for Saturday is not to walk anyone," Hensley said on Thursday before the Padres faced the Mets at Shea Stadium. "I think some of the stuff that happened had to do with pitch selection. I got away from my fastball a little bit."

Hensley, who said his arm was a little low during his delivery, has been encouraged this week by how sharp his command has been during two routine bullpen sessions.

"[Wednesday] was one of the better bullpens I've had this season," Hensley said. "I was hitting my spots, my ball was sinking on me. I'm going to try and take that into Saturday and eliminate the walks.

"When I'm throwing strikes, guys are going to hit the ball on the ground more often than not."

Hensley (2-3, 6.70 ERA) will need to keep the ball down at Citizens Bank Ballpark, which was recently rated by Sports Illustrated (in a poll of non-pitchers) as the best hitting ballpark in the Major Leagues.

Seeing the field: It was a big day for Padres catcher Michael Barrett on Thursday, as he not only experienced his fourth consecutive day without concussion-like symptoms, but he actually got on the field before the game to take part in a few drills.

"I'm probably starting earlier than most people would," Barrett said. "But I felt like today would be a good day to throw and hit."

It was Barrett's first significant baseball-related activity since Aug. 10. That was the day he took a shin to the helmet while trying to break up a double play in Cincinnati. That incident was the second blow to the head that Barrett suffered in a week.

Barrett was placed on the 15-day disabled list the following day.

"He's making progress," Padres manager Bud Black said. "It's day four of feeling pretty good. You saw him throwing the bases, catching guys in the bullpen. He's gaining on it."

Black confirmed what Barrett said on Wednesday about the need for a rehabilitation stint in the Minor Leagues before returning from the DL.

"That's probably going to happen," Black said. "To be thrown in a Major League game without any game exposure is not the way to go about it. He will play in some Minor League games before he gets activated."

Nothing new on Young: There was no significant news on Thursday regarding pitcher Chris Young, who suffered tightness in his lower back following a start on Tuesday and then flew back to San Diego for an MRI on Wednesday.

Young, who will miss his scheduled start on Sunday in Philadelphia, will likely receive a cortisone shot in his lower back to relieve the swelling in his soft tissue.

The Padres don't think Young will need to go on the DL, and that he'll miss only one start because of the injury.

Friar notes: The Padres signed 29-year-old left-handed pitcher Casey Fossum to a Minor League contract this week and then assigned him to Triple-A Portland, where he pitched on Wednesday. Fossum allowed one run on six hits over 4 1/3 innings. Fossum was 5-8 with a 7.70 ERA in 40 games with the Devil Rays before being released on Aug. 10. Fossum, who has a career record of 37-52 with a 5.46 ERA in the Major Leagues, has pitched for Tampa Bay, Boston and Arizona. ... Joe Thatcher got the victory in relief of Fossum, improving to 3-1. Craig Stansberry hit his 14th home run of the season. Brady Clark, who signed a Minor League contract last week, had three hits. ... Greg Maddux, who gets the start on Friday in Philadelphia, needs one victory to move into sole possession of ninth place on baseball's career victory list (343). ... Brian Giles is three runs shy of 1,000 for his career. He'll become the 12th active player to get 1,500 hits, 1,000 runs, 1,000 walks and 250 home runs. ... The Padres' 7-5 victory over the Mets on Wednesday was their first at Shea Stadium since Aug. 26, 2004. San Diego had dropped seven games since that last victory. .. The Padres return to PETCO Park on Monday to face the D-backs in a critical four-game series. Jake Peavy and Arizona's Brandon Webb, the two leading National League Cy Young candidates, will face each other in that game.

On deck: The Padres will open a three-game series at 4:05 p.m. PT on Friday in Philadelphia. Maddux (9-9, 3.90 ERA) gets the start for the Padres, while the Phillies counter with Jamie Moyer (11-9, 4.97).