Our Padres couldn't complete the sweep in Chicago. Tonight they return to Petco Park to begin a series against the Pirates. With Andrew Cashner and Robbie Erlin both still out of commission, they'll once again turn to Tim Stauffer, who looks to rebound from probably the worst outing of his career.
Stauffer only recorded one out in his last start while being credited with seven runs, causing his ERA for the season to go from 1.90 to 4.50. It was just his second start of the year, but 14th overall appearance. His first start went much better. He kept the Cubs to only two hits and a walk in five scoreless innings, striking out five along the way. Prior to that he had been used only out of the bullpen.
Opposing Stauff will be Charlie Morton, who is 2-0 all-time against San Diego. He's posted a 1.33 ERA in three career starts against them, the most recent of which was last September. He gave up one run and struck out nine in eight innings, but the Pirates went on to lose 3-2. Morton is still seeking his first road win of the year. In five prior starts on the road, he's gone 0-4 while totaling 30 2/3 innings.
Our Friars lost two of three in their last series against the Bucs but are overall 22-6 in their last 28 matchups with Pittsburgh. Tune in at 7:10 PDT to see if they can improve on that record and get this homestand started on a good note.