National League Preview from The Sports Network
Wednesday, May 2nd
(All times Eastern)
Milwaukee Brewers (11-13) at San Diego Padres (8-17), 6:35 p.m.
Probable Starting Pitchers: Milwaukee - Yovani Gallardo (1-2, 6.08)
San Diego - Cory Luebke (3-1, 2.61)
(Sports Network) - The San Diego Padres have yet to win a series this season
and will get a chance tonight versus the Milwaukee Brewers in the finale of a
three-game series from Petco Park.
The Padres evened this set at a game apiece with last night's 2-0 victory
behind seven shutout innings from Edinson Volquez and a pair of scoreless
innings from relievers Andrew Cashner and Huston Street. Cashner posted the
victory and Street nailed down his fourth save for a San Diego club that
scored the only runs of the game on Mark Kotsay's pinch-hit two-run homer in
the bottom of the eighth inning off of Francisco Rodriguez.
"I've just seen (Rodriguez) too often to know that that breaking ball is
devastating against right-handed hitters," said Padres manager Bud Black. "It
was just one of those calls where I felt at that point (Kotsay) was a better
matchup."
San Diego halted a three-game slide and won for the third time in its last
eight tries. It will resume this nine-game homestand with visits from Miami
and Colorado, and is 6-10 as the host.
Cory Luebke was expected to take the hill for the Friars tonight, but will be
pushed back in favor of Jeff Suppan. Luebke is battling elbow soreness and is
not expected to go on the disabled list. Suppan gets the start for the first
time since October of the 2010 season and spent some time with Triple-A Tucson
before his promotion. The former Brewer split time with Milwaukee and St.
Louis in the 2010 campaign and was dealing with a triceps injury.
Suppan, a right-hander, spent the entire 2011 season pitching in Omaha, the
Kansas City Royals' Triple-A affiliate. He is 12-2 with a 3.32 ERA in 22
career games (20 starts) against the Brewers.
One day after Ryan Braun blasted three homers and a triple to lead Milwaukee
past the Padres in the series opener, the Brewers' bats were dead on Tuesday.
Braun went 1-for-4 and both Corey Hart and Alex Gonzalez had the other hits,
as the Brewers lost for the fourth time in six tries and had a two-game
winning streak come to an end. Shaun Marcum was solid on the mound with seven
scoreless innings, but Rodriguez was victimized by Kotsay's homer in the
eighth inning to absorb the loss.
"Usually in a tight ball game they have the good pitching so they are usually
low scoring games and it comes down to who gets the big hit," Brewers manager
Ron Roenicke said of the Padres.
The Brewers are 2-3 on a nine-game road trip and will visit San Francisco for
three games after tonight's ballgame. They are 5-7 away from Miller Park.
Supposed Milwaukee ace Yovani Gallardo hopes to right the ship when he takes
the mound tonight. Gallardo led the Brewers in wins (17), ERA (3.52) and
strikeouts (207) last season, but is only 1-2 with a 6.08 earned run average
in five starts this season.
Gallardo, a right-hander, lasted only two innings in his previous start on
Friday during a 13-1 drubbing at the hands of St. Louis. He was rocked for
eight runs and eight hits with three K's and two walks. Gallardo will face the
Padres for the fifth time in his career and is 2-1 with a 5.06 ERA in the
first four appearances.
San Diego lost three of five meetings with Milwaukee last season.
05/02 10:43:08 ET
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