News
Gwynn hoping to finish season strong
San Diego (72-83) at Arizona (66-88), 5:10 p.m. PT
By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com
09/26/09 2:20 AM ET
PHOENIX -- Tony Gwynn is hoping to finish the 2009 season with a flourish at the plate. The Padres play the D-backs at Chase Field on Saturday evening in the second game of a three-game series, and Gwynn would like to end his first full Major League season batting .275. Including Saturday night, San Diego has seven games left to play. "I'm working at it," said Gwynn, who will enter the game hitting .269 after going 0-for-4 with a walk and a run scored in Friday's 4-0 victory over Arizona. "I'd like to go into the offseason feeling good about my swing and what I was able to accomplish this year." Gwynn was obtained from Milwaukee in a trade for Jody Gerut on May 21. He was drafted and played parts of his first three seasons with the Brewers, but he never appeared in more than 69 games in any season. Friday night was his 112th game, and he has 425 plate appearances. Gwynn still was hitting .300 as late as July 16, and he hit a low of .254 on Sept. 12. Although it gets tough this time of year with so many at-bats to bring an average up, Gwynn had raised his average 18 points since Sept. 13, going 15-for-34 (.441) in that stretch. "He's done very well," Padres general manager Kevin Towers said. "He's just like his dad. He's the first one into the locker room every day and the last one to leave. Whatever you ask of him, he does." Pitching matchupSD: LHP Wade LeBlanc (2-1, 3.93 ERA)
Since being called back up to the big leagues on Aug. 29, LeBlanc has been a very solid member of the Padres' rotation. Following his one-run, five-inning outing against the Pirates in his previous start, the left-hander has a 2.40 ERA over five starts since being called up. In four September starts, he's yielded just four earned runs in 24 innings, good for a 1.50 ERA. He faced the D-backs on Sept. 15 and received a no-decision despite allowing just one run on three hits over six innings. ARI: RHP Dan Haren (14-9, 2.90 ERA)
Haren gave it his best his last time out, but the Rockies simply wore him down en route to a 5-1 win. Haren drove in the D-backs' lone run in the second inning and kept the Rockies off the board through six frames. Finally in the seventh, the Rockies broke through for three runs. Then in the eighth, Haren allowed a two-run homer to Jason Giambi. Haren has established a career high in strikeouts with 208. That number ranks eighth in franchise history. Tidbits
Third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff missed his 15th consecutive game on Friday night because of a strained left calf. Kouzmanoff took batting practice in the inside cage adjacent to the Padres' clubhouse and said he was feeling fine. San Diego manager Bud Black said Kouzmanoff probably wouldn't play this weekend, but he might be back in the lineup when the Padres open their final homestand on Tuesday night against the Dodgers. "He's getting better," Black said about a player who hasn't been in the lineup since Sept. 8. "Hopefully he might be playable when we get home." ... Edgar Gonzalez is still day-to-day after suffering an injury on Tuesday night at Colorado in which his left shoulder popped out of its socket. "They popped it right back in. It's happened before," Black said. He's a little sore. I'd say he's questionable for this series." Tickets
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• Sunday: Padres (Edward Mujica, 3-4, 3.77) at D-backs (Billy Buckner, 2-6, 6.75), 1:10 p.m. PT
• Monday: Off-day
• Tuesday: Padres (TBD) vs. Dodgers (Chad Billingsley, 12-10, 4.70), 7:05 p.m. PT
Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
