News
Padres to stick with eight-man bullpen
San Diego (10-6) vs. Pittsburgh (9-7), 7:05 p.m. PT
Padres closer Heath Bell leads the National League with seven saves. (Lenny Ignelzi/AP)
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
04/25/09 3:48 AM ET
SAN DIEGO -- Entering a stretch in which they will play 17 consecutive days before their next day off, the Padres will likely continue to carry 13 pitchers -- five starters and eight relievers -- for the foreseeable future, manager Bud Black indicated Friday. The news that the Padres, who continue their brief, three-game homestand against the Pirates on Saturday, will keep eight relievers came on the same day outfielder Cliff Floyd's status remains in limbo due to fluid on his right knee. Floyd, who originally went on the disabled list on April 5 with a strained right shoulder that has now healed, said he's frustrated about the knee. "I've still got a lot of fluid," said Floyd, who had an MRI on Thursday. "We'll take a few more days and wait and see. Right now, it's frustrating for me." Floyd received a shot on Thursday with different medication that he hopes will stop fluid from building in the knee. "The doctor is a little concerned about some parts of the knee," Black said. "We'll have a better understanding of this situation in a week." That means the Padres will likely keep their eight-man bullpen in place moving forward past this season and into a three-game series in Colorado on Monday. Those relievers got plenty of work during a 4-4 road trip through New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco. Closer Heath Bell -- who leads the National League with seven saves -- and Cla Meredith have yet to allow an earned run this season. Luke Gregerson and Edwin Moreno lead the relievers with eight appearances each. Reliever Duaner Sanchez has had a sore right forearm and hasn't pitched since April 17. Black was going to check with Sanchez to see if the forearm was feeling better before Friday to determine if and when he would be available. Pitching matchupSD: RHP Shawn Hill (1-0, 3.60 ERA)
In his second start of the season, Hill, who joined the Padres late in Spring Training after being let go by the Washington Nationals, allowed two runs on three hits over five innings, walking one and striking out three. Hill increased his pitch count to 91 and was in line for his second victory of the season before the Phillies tied the score. Hill had good movement on his fastball and managed to thrive at Citizens Bank Park even when getting eight fly-ball outs compared to four ground-ball outs. There's no reason to think that Hill won't be able to exceed 100 pitches in his next start, as he appears fully stretched out. PIT: LHP Zach Duke (2-1, 2.95 ERA)
Duke was around the plate too much in his last start, and the Braves made him pay by tagging the lefty for 12 hits and six runs in six innings. Duke isn't a strikeout pitcher and has always been one to give up hits, but the key for him is scattering those hits and keeping them in the ballpark. The more ground-ball outs he induces, the better his command is. Though the results weren't there in his last start, Duke has had more success using the inside part of the plate this year, and with his sinker. He's 1-2 with a 4.66 ERA in three career starts against San Diego. Tidbits
There are fewer than 5,000 tickets remaining for Saturday's game. ... Pitcher Walter Silva, who is on the disabled list with a strained right forearm, threw his first bullpen session on Friday and will do so again on Sunday or Monday before a determination is made about a Minor League rehabilitation stint. ... Third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff entered Friday's game on a season-high six-game hitting streak. In that stretch, Kouzmanoff was hitting .423 with two doubles, one home run and five RBIs. He went 0-for-4 on Friday. ... Pitcher Cha Seung Baek, who, like Silva, is on the DL with a strained right forearm, threw in the bullpen on Friday and will likely head out for a Minor League rehabilitation stint as soon as this weekend. Tickets
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• XPRS 1090, XEMO 860 (Español) Up next
• Sunday: Padres (Jake Peavy, 2-2, 5.13) vs. Pirates (Ross Ohlendorf, 1-2, 3.00), 1:05 p.m. PT
• Monday: Padres (Chris Young, 2-0, 3.42) at Rockies (Jason Hammel, 0-0, 2.70), 5:40 p.m. PT
• Tuesday: Padres (Josh Geer, 0-0, 1.29) at Rockies (Jorge De La Rosa, 0-2, 3.78), 5:40 p.m. PT
Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
