NewsStauffer aims to end August swoon
San Diego (53-74) at Atlanta (66-59), 4:00 p.m. PT
By Adam Rosenberg / MLB.com
08/26/09 12:51 AM ET
ATLANTA -- When Padres pitcher Tim Stauffer makes his fifth start in August against the Braves on Wednesday, he will be trying to do something he hasn't been able to do this month. In his previous four starts, Stauffer has lasted just five innings and lost each time. When he faces the Braves, Stauffer hopes to pitch beyond the fifth and earn his first victory since July 30. The first of his string of short starts came against the Braves on Aug. 4 in San Diego. In that outing, he surrendered three runs on eight hits. Since that start, Stauffer's outings have been filled with command issues. "I'm going a little bit too deep into counts," Stauffer said. "I'm throwing too many pitches. Game situations and my spot coming up in the batting order coming up played into leaving a couple of those games early, but my pitch efficiency is not where I want it to be." In each of his last four outings, Stauffer threw at least 90 pitches before exiting. By comparison, Stauffer went at least six innings in three of his first four starts of the season before his recent rough stretch. The former first-round pick attributes his struggles to a recent tendency to try to be too fine with his pitches in order to avoid contact. "I'm kind of shying away from contact right now," Stauffer said. "I can't worry about throwing a pitch in the exact location I want it to be. I need to try not to be too fine and trust my stuff and let go a little bit more." Stauffer is looking forward to pitching deeper into games to save his bullpen from overwork this late in the season. He's also looking forward to trying to play spoiler to a Braves team that is trying to fight its way into the postseason race. "You feel like you're letting your team down when you can't pitch deep into games," Stauffer said. "It's not just giving up runs, but I'm wearing out a bullpen that's gotten a lot of work, especially late in the season. You want to string some good starts together. You're trying to win every game, but especially when the other team has something to play for. You kind of want to spoil the party." Pitching matchupSD: RHP Tim Stauffer (1-6, 3.95 ERA)
In his last start, Stauffer again found himself in too many deep counts and made one terrible mistake when he allowed a second-inning grand slam to the Cardinals' No. 8 hitter, Brendan Ryan. All told, he allowed four runs on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Stauffer struggled with command of his breaking ball and was hurt when he fell behind in the count on numerous occasions. Stauffer has pitched 83 innings this season between the Minor Leagues and the Major Leagues after missing all of last season while recovering from shoulder surgery. ATL: RHP Kenshin Kawakami (6-9, 3.97 ERA)
Matched up against Johan Santana, Kawakami outpitched the Mets ace last Thursday in New York, allowing just one run in seven innings and striking out five. With merely one turn in the rotation remaining before Tim Hudson is due to be activated from the disabled list, Kawakami again made his case to remain the Braves' fifth starter down the stretch. He has now submitted four straight quality starts, and will look for a fifth against the Padres -- a team he lost to earlier this month by allowing three runs in six innings on Aug. 3 in San Diego. Tidbits
Mat Latos' quality start on Tuesday was the fourth of his career. It came after two consecutive outings in which he failed to pitch into the fifth inning. ... Adrian Gonzalez's third-inning home run was his 23rd road homer of the season, good for best in the National League. The homer also accounted for his 376th RBI as he passed Benito Santiago for 10th on the Padres' all-time list. ... The Padres improved to 7-5 in extra-inning games. ... Chase Headley's eighth-inning walk allowed him to reach base for the fourth time, tying his season high. ... The Padres called up reliever Adam Russell from Triple-A Portland Tuesday and sent down reliever Cesar Carrillo. Tickets
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• Thursday: Padres (Clayton Richard, 7-3, 4.42) at Braves (Javier Vazquez, 10-9, 3.14), 4:00 p.m. PT
• Friday: Padres (Kevin Correia, 8-10, 4.46) at Marlins (Chris Volstad, 9-10, 4.73), 4:10 p.m. PT
• Saturday: Padres (TBD) at Marlins (Ricky Nolasco, 9-8, 5.31), 3:10 p.m. PT
Adam Rosenberg is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
