News
Silva eyes rebound against Astros
San Diego (34-42) vs. Houston (36-39), 7:05 p.m. PT
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
07/01/09 3:00 AM ET
SAN DIEGO -- Walter Silva hopes to continue the Padres' recent run of strong pitching when he takes the mound on Wednesday against the Houston Astros at PETCO Park.The Padres got their fourth consecutive quality start on Tuesday when Josh Banks allowed three runs over seven innings in a 4-3 victory over the Astros.
Previously, Monday starter Josh Geer, Sunday starter Chad Gaudin and Saturday starter Kevin Correia pitched well during their respective starts. The Padres won three of those four games.
As for Silva, the Padres want to see improvement from his last start in Texas, where he wilted in the summer heat.
Silva allowed nine runs, eight earned, in 2 1/3 innings in what would become a 12-2 loss to the Rangers.
"It was one of those days, one of those bad days," he said. "They were sitting on my offspeed pitches. I wasn't throwing my fastball for strikes. I was always behind the batters, and they were sitting on my offspeed pitches."
It was the shortest outing of Silva's brief career, as well as the most runs and most earned runs he has allowed in four career Major League starts. No Padres starter had allowed nine runs since April 21, 2008, when Justin Germano allowed 10 earned runs against the Astros.
"It shows how critical starting pitching is to a team's chance to win on a given night," Padres manager Bud Black said. "We fell behind early by a significant number of runs. It's hard to dig ourselves out of that."
Pitching matchup
SD: RHP Walter Silva (0-1, 9.35 ERA)
Silva has never faced the Astros. In two starts at PETCO Park, he is 0-0 with a 4.36 ERA over 10 1/3 innings pitched. Silva has is seeking his first Major League victory. HOU: RHP Brian Moehler (4-4, 6.05 ERA)
Moehler fell victim to sloppy defense in his last start, against the Kansas City Royals. He received a no-decision after giving up four runs over five innings, but just one of those runs was earned, as the Astros committed three errors behind the right-hander. He has faced the Padres once this season, picking up the win on May 9 with a seven-inning start in which he allowed one run on five hits and struck out six. Tidbits
Rookie shortstop Everth Cabrera had hit safely in eight of 11 games since returning from the disabled list on June 19. ... Tuesday marked the 52nd birthday for Black. ... Scattered single tickets remain for Friday's game at PETCO Park featuring the Dodgers and the return of outfielder Manny Ramirez from a 50-game suspension. ... Blake Tekotte, an outfielder for Class A Fort Wayne, was named the Midwest League Player of the Week for the week ending June 28. Tekotte hit .538 with two doubles, two home runs and eight RBI for the TinCaps. ... The Astros have four players on their current 40-man roster with ties to the Padres, catcher Humberto Quintero, infielder Geoff Blum and pitchers Doug Brocail and Wilton Lopez. Tickets
Buy tickets now to catch the game in person.
On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio• Gameday
• Official game notes On television
• 4 San Diego On radio
• XPRS 1090, XEMO 860 (Español) Up next
• Thursday: Padres (Kevin Correia, 5-5, 4.23) vs. Astros (Wandy Rodriguez, 6-6, 3.35), 12:35 p.m. PT
• Friday: Padres (Chad Gaudin, 4-6, 4.97) vs. Dodgers (Hiroki Kuroda, 2-4, 3.77), 7:05 p.m. PT
• Saturday: Padres (Josh Geer, 1-3, 5.68) vs. Dodgers (Randy Wolf, 3-3, 3.61), 1:10 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.
