Ian Kennedy and Mike Leake will toe the rubber in game 2 at Petco Park.
Following their second one-hit win of the season, our Padres look to lock up the series tonight in game 2 against the Reds. They didn't need much offense to get it done in the series opener, but hopefully they can give Ian Kennedy a little more wiggle room tonight as he takes the mound opposite Cincinnati's Mike Leake.
Kennedy hasn't been the sharpest tool in the Padres' pitching shed lately, going 0-3 with a 6.08 ERA over his last four starts. Though he racked up eight strikeouts in San Francisco last Wednesday, he also gave up four runs on nine hits while the Padres offense got shut out. On the bright side, Kennedy has been great against the Reds in his career. In five career starts opposite Cincy, he's gone 3-1 with a 2.55 ERA. However, his one loss against them came this season when the team traveled to Great American Ballpark in May. He gave up five runs on 11 hits in six innings that night.
Leake comes into tonight's matchup having won three straight starts and looking for a career-high fourth consecutive win. He's also coming off one of his more impressive wins of the season. Last Thursday in San Francisco, he allowed just one run on four hits in eight innings of work, striking out a career-high 12 batters along the way. Leake also faced the Padres in that May series, but got a no-decision as the Reds lost 2-1. He did pitch eight strong innings that night, though, keeping SD to just one run on two hits. He is still seeking his first win against our Friars, having gone 0-1 with a 2.66 ERA in four career matchups against them.
Our Friars ended the Reds' five-game winning streak last night. Tune in at 7:10 PDT to see if they can also put an end to Cincinnati's series win streak with another victory tonight.