NewsSilva eyes rebound effort in Arlington
San Diego (31-40) at Texas (39-32), 5:05 p.m. PT
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
06/25/09 8:54 PM ET
SEATTLE -- Walter Silva would like nothing more than a quality start on Friday when he takes the mound against the Texas Rangers in Arlington.
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First things first, though, Silva would settle for a much more efficient first and second innings, something that he didn't have in his last start.
It took Silva 54 pitches to get through the first two frames against the Oakland A's on Saturday, a no-decision in a game the A's won, 6-3.
Silva allowed three runs on five hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings. He had four strikeouts in his third Major League start.
He also got an earful from his teammate and friend Adrian Gonzalez, the one Padres player who might be the most responsible for the 32-year-old rookie being in San Diego's rotation in the first place.
"Adrian came to me and said, 'Start throwing your fastball and get ahead in the count.' It helped me," Silva said. "Innings [Nos.] 3 through 6, I threw my fastball and it worked for me and my team."
Silva, who began the season as the fifth starter in the rotation, strained his right forearm in New York in April and has either been on the disabled list or pitching for Triple-A Portland ever since.
It wasn't so much nerves that got the best of Silva against the A's. It was more a matter of the righty forgetting what has always worked best for him, throwing strikes, getting ahead, a lesson Gonzalez -- a winter league teammate in Mexico and the one who recommended that the Padres sign him before Spring Training -- reminded him of when he needed it most.
"It got a little hairy the first two innings," Padres manager Bud Black said. "But then he settled in and started locating the fastball. He threw pitches into the sixth inning and left with the lead."
The Padres would like nothing more than for Silva to work deep into Friday's game, especially after Thursday's starter, Wade LeBlanc, allowed four runs and left the game after 1 1/3 innings.
Pitching matchupSD: RHP Walter Silva (0-0, 6.00 ERA)
Silva had an uneven outing in his last start on Saturday against the A's, his first start since sustaining a forearm strain in April. Silva had been on the disabled list for a month before being optioned to Portland. He rejoined the Padres before Saturday's start when Chris Young went on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder. This will be the first time Silva has faced the Rangers. TEX: RHP Kevin Millwood (7-5, 2.62 ERA)
Millwood is 3-1 with a 0.94 ERA in his past four starts. He is 5-1 with a 2.08 ERA in eight starts at Rangers Ballpark. Opponents are hitting .188 against him with runners in scoring position, including .111 with two outs. He is 5-1 with a 2.95 ERA against the Padres in 13 career starts and is 29-12 with a 3.01 ERA in 56 games, including 55 starts, in his career against the National League West. Tidbits
There were some major roster moves at Class A Fort Wayne on Thursday as four players were promoted to Class A Lake Elsinore, including pitcher Nick Schmidt, third baseman James Darnell, first baseman Matt Clark and outfielder Sawyer Carroll. Schmidt, the Padres' No. 1 pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, was 4-0 with a 2.79 ERA and had allowed one run in his past 31 innings. ... With Darnell now in Lake Elsinore, the Padres have promoted third baseman Logan Forsythe to Double-A San Antonio. He was hitting .322 with a .472 on-base percentage with Lake Elsinore. ... Gonzalez made his first start as the designated hitter for the Padres on Thursday against Seattle. It's the first time he's ever started at DH. Kyle Blanks got his first start at first base. "We saw him a lot in Spring Training. He's a good athlete. No worries with him at first," Black said. ... After drawing a walk on Thursday, Gonzalez has 28 walks in June, which leads the Major Leagues. Tickets
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• XPRS 1090, XEMO 860 (Español) Up next
• Saturday: Padres (Kevin Correia, 4-5, 4.26) at Rangers (Derek Holland, 1-4, 5.77), 5:05 p.m. PT
• Sunday: Padres (Chad Gaudin, 3-6, 5.60) at Rangers (Matt Harrison, 4-5, 6.11), 5:05 p.m. PT
• Monday: Padres (TBD) vs. Astros (Roy Oswalt, 3-4, 4.30), 7:05 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.
