News
Richard set for final start of season
San Diego (73-85) vs. Los Angeles (93-65), 7:05 p.m. PT
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
09/30/09 1:24 AM ET
SAN DIEGO -- In his last start, Padres pitcher Clayton Richard finished fast, tossing five shutout innings against the Rockies after allowing a three-run home run in the first inning.Richard will attempt to finish fast in a different way on Wednesday, when he makes his final start of the season against the Dodgers at PETCO Park.
Richard, one of four pitchers obtained in the July 31 trade with the White Sox for Jake Peavy, is making his 12th start since the deal and his second start against the Dodgers.
Richard faced Los Angeles on June 25 while still with Chicago. He allowed four runs on six hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Richard, when he's going well, gets a lot of groundouts, especially with a sinking fastball that's tough to get on top of. Against the Rockies, Richard went a different route, relying on more changeups.
After allowing a three-run home run to Troy Tulowitzki in the first inning of Thursday's game at Coors Field, Richard didn't allow another run as the Padres came back for a 5-4 victory.
"Really, the first inning wasn't that awful," said Richard, who got a lot of mileage out of his changeup. "Sometimes you've got to tip your cap to them."
Richard is one of three pitchers from the Peavy deal to play for the Padres this season. Relievers Aaron Poreda and Adam Russell are also currently on the active roster.
A fourth pitcher, Dexter Carter, played for Class A Fort Wayne this season.
Pitching matchupLAD: RHP Jon Garland (11-12, 3.90 ERA)
Garland pitched well enough for a shutout, instead getting charged with three unearned runs and an undeserved loss in Pittsburgh. He struck out six with one walk over six innings, the runs scoring on a sacrifice fly and a bloop single. He's not overpowering, but he knows how to pitch and seems especially adept at escaping jams and keeping the damage to a minimum. Nonetheless, his postseason role is undetermined.
SD: LHP Clayton Richard (8-5, 4.62 ERA)
Richard, 4-2 with a 4.58 ERA in 11 starts since being acquired from the White Sox, hasn't had a decision in his past three starts, but has fared well enough in all of them. He allowed three runs -- two of them earned -- in six innings at Colorado his last time out.
Rookie outfielder Kyle Blanks was back in the Padres' clubhouse on Tuesday, without the cast he had on his right foot for a strained arch that ended his season on Aug. 28. Blanks has had the cast off for a week, and after being fitted for orthotics, is walking around almost pain-free. He's been riding a stationary bike, undergoing ultrasound treatment for the arch, stretching it as well as doing resistance-type movements. "It's funny -- you don't think you can lose the act of walking, but you can," Blanks said. The slugger is still a little cautious and has been reluctant to "let it go." Blanks should be fine to go through his usual offseason workouts outside his home near Albuquerque, and obviously, should be ready for Spring Training where he'll try to win a job as a starting outfielder. ... Edgar Gonzalez, who suffered a left shoulder injury diving for a ball in Colorado last week, is taking batting practice and could play again this weekend. ... The Padres still haven't named starting pitchers for their final two games of the regular season, Saturday and Sunday against the Giants. Tickets
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• Thursday: Off-day
• Friday: Padres (Kevin Correia, 12-10, 3.89) vs. Giants (Barry Zito, 10-13, 4.10), 7:05 p.m. PT
• Saturday: Padres (TBD) vs. Giants (Matt Cain, 14-7, 2.88), 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.
