News
Young looking to keep up momentum
San Diego (12-16) vs. Arizona (12-16), 12:35 p.m. PT
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
05/07/09 1:12 AM ET
SAN DIEGO -- There's good news regarding the Padres' top two starting pitchers: Jake Peavy and Chris Young. The latter gets the start Thursday in a day game at PETCO Park against the Arizona Diamondbacks.The good news is both pitchers are throwing well of late, as evidenced by Peavy's performance Wednesday. He allowed two runs over seven innings with 12 strikeouts.
The Padres just can't seem to get either pitcher a victory.
Peavy had a strong start Wednesday, but the Padres fell to the Diamondbacks. Now it's Young's turn, as he makes his seventh start of the season.
Last weekend, Young followed Peavy's eight scoreless innings against the Dodgers by allowing one run over seven innings the next night, though, like Peavy, he was left with nothing to show for it, as the Dodgers won the game in walk-off fashion for the second time in as many nights.
In that start, Young, rebounding nicely from the worst start of his career, held the Dodgers to one run on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
Young has fared better at home this season, going 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA in two starts at PETCO Park. He is 1-3 for his career with a 4.42 ERA against the Diamondbacks.
The Padres will likely get left fielder Chase Headley back in the lineup on Thursday. Headley didn't start the last two games because of a sore left shoulder. The Padres could certainly use his bat, given the results of their past two games, during which they scored three runs.
Pitching matchupSD: RHP Chris Young (2-1, 4.81 ERA)
Young bounced back from a rough start on April 27 when he allowed a career-high eight runs in three innings in a loss to the Rockies. How big a bounceback? Well, consider that Young allowed one run in seven innings on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts -- all this against the Dodgers, who have what is regarded as one of the top lineups in the National League. In the fifth inning, Young froze Manny Ramirez with a dandy curveball for a called third strike. That start looked a lot like the one on April 22 in San Francisco, where Young tossed seven scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Giants. ARI: RHP Dan Haren (3-3, 1.47 ERA)
After non-existent run support cost Haren losses in his first three starts, the Diamondbacks have done enough to get their ace of the moment back to .500. For the first time in his career, Haren struck out double-digit batters in consecutive outings, punching out 11 Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday to follow up his 10-strikeout, complete-game performance in Chicago one start earlier. Haren did all of this without his breaking pitch, which he said he struggled to locate, but that didn't stop him from recording a dominant eight innings. Tidbits
San Diego pitcher Josh Geer walked Troy Tulowitzki in the second inning Tuesday, snapping his streak of 18 consecutive innings without a walk to start the season. That's the longest streak to start the season by any pitcher in the Major Leagues this season. ... After reaching base twice on Tuesday, Adrian Gonzalez has now reached base in 26 of the Padres' first 27 games this season. ... Peavy entered Wednesday's start needing four strikeouts for 1,300 for his career, and he reached the mark. ... Major League Baseball named Padres closer Heath Bell its Delivery Man of the Month of April. Bell saved eight games in eight opportunities in April. ... Manager Bud Black said his rotation for the upcoming series in Houston will be Chad Gaudin on Friday, Kevin Correia on Saturday and Geer on Sunday. Tickets
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• Friday: Padres (Chad Gaudin, 0-1, 5.06) at Astros (Wandy Rodriguez, 2-2, 2.19), 5:05 p.m. PT
• Saturday: Padres (Kevin Correia, 0-2, 5.92) at Astros (Brian Moehler, 0-2, 14.00), 4:05 p.m. PT
• Sunday: Padres (Josh Geer, 0-0. 3.96) at Astros (Roy Oswalt, 0-2, 4.26), 11:05 a.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.
