News
LeBlanc looks to finish season strong
San Diego (74-86) vs. San Francisco (87-73), 7:05 p.m. PT
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
10/03/09 2:09 AM EST
SAN DIEGO -- One last chance to make a good impression. That's what Padres left-handed pitcher Wade LeBlanc will be charged with Saturday, when San Diego faces the Giants in the second game of a three-game series. LeBlanc will be making his ninth start of the season for the Padres and his second start against the Giants. The first came on Sept. 9 when he allowed two runs in seven innings in a 4-2 victory. LeBlanc has had success at times this season, especially since he was recalled from Triple-A Portland on Aug. 29. He's commanded his fastball better and has still been able to mix in his best pitch, a plus changeup, with better success than a stint with the team earlier this season. LeBlanc allowed four runs in five innings in his last start on Sept. 26 against the D-backs. He hadn't allowed more than two runs in any of his previous four starts before that game. Manager Bud Black has said these games, even the ones in the final week of the season, are important for pitchers like LeBlanc who figure to be in the mix for spots in the starting rotation next spring. There figures to be no shortage of candidates for rotation spots: LeBlanc, Tim Stauffer, Sean Gallagher, Chris Young, Edward Mujica, Cesar Ramos -- who gets the start in Sunday's regular-season finale -- Kevin Correia, Mat Latos, Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda. Pitching matchupSD: LHP Wade LeBlanc (2-1, 4.35 ERA)
LeBlanc gets one more turn in the starting rotation for 2009. His has been a story of two seasons, one where he struggled with the Padres and the last where he's had a great deal of success after being sent to Triple-A Portland this summer. Since being recalled from Portland, he's 2-0 with a 3.09 ERA in six starts. SF: RHP Matt Cain (14-7, 2.88 ERA)
Cain's consistency is reflected in his home/road splits. He's 7-4 with a 2.72 ERA at home, virtually matching his 7-3 record with a 3.06 ERA on the road. Cain has rarely received decent run support at PETCO Park, where he owns a 1-3 record despite a 2.79 ERA in seven career starts while yielding 25 hits in 42 innings. Cain must last at least 5 1/3 innings to reach a personal best for innings pitched, eclipsing the 217 2/3 he worked last year. The Giants are 21-11 in his starts. Tidbits
Third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff was a late scratch Friday because of tightness in his back. It's the same tightness that felled Kouzmanoff for parts of 17 games. Kouzmanoff missed 17 games last month with a strained left calf and back tightness. He returned to the lineup Tuesday against the Dodgers and had an RBI single that broke a tie in a 3-1 victory. Then, one day later, Kouzmanoff hit a three-run home run in a 5-0 victory over the Dodgers. Black didn't think the tightness would keep Kouzmanoff from the lineup for more than one game. In fact, he was playable Friday. Chase Headley got the start at third base and Oscar Salazar got the start in left field. ... On Sunday, the Padres will hold their 10th annual Shirts Off Their Backs ceremony. The team is selling $1 scratcher tickets, which are currently on sale at the ballpark, with all proceeds going to the Padres Foundation. Approximately 40 winners will receive a game-worn camouflage jersey presented by a Padres player or coach immediately following Sunday's game. Since 2000, the Shirts Off Their Backs program has raised more than $340,000 for the Padres Foundation. Tickets
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• Sunday: Padres (Cesar Ramos, 0-1, 1.74) vs. Giants (Jonathan Sanchez, 8-12, 4.27), 1:05 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.
