After losing last night against the Mets, despite the offense scoring four runs, our Padres need to step up tonight to even up the series. Our All Star, Tyson Ross, will take the mound opposite Dillon Gee of the Mets.
Though San Diego is having a rough season as a whole, Tyson Ross may be having one the best season of his career. In his fifth year in the majors, and second year in a Padres uni, Ross has put up some career numbers so far. He's already surpassed any previous season in innings pitched (129 2/3) and strikeouts (126). He's managed to stay healthy all season and pitched his first ever complete game in shutout fashion last month. And he was named to his first career All Star team (though he was inactive for the actual All Star Game due to his pitching schedule). Over his last eight starts, he's pitched to the tune of a 2.38 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 54 innings. His most recent outing saw him keep the NL-West-leading Dodgers to one run on six hits and a walk while striking out nine players through seven innings.
But Ross hasn't had much to show for his efforts this season thanks to an inept Padres offense. Over that last eight-game stretch, he's only 1-6 while receiving just five total runs of support. They've lost eight of their last ten game and are riding a three-game losing streak going into tonight's matchup, hitting a collective .168 with with 25 strikeouts. One bright spot in the lineup lately has been Alexi Amarista, who's hitting .357 over his last 13 games. Last night he led the offense with three hits and an RBI against the Mets. The team collected four runs last night, which felt a bit like winning the lottery considering they had previously gone 25 straight innings without scoring.
Hopefully that offensive effort can continue tonight against Dillon Gee as he tries to lead New York to a fifth consecutive win. The Mets have won nine of their last 11 games and if things keep going the way they have, the could find themselves back in the playoff race in the NL East. Gee has two wins and a 1.35 ERA in three career outings against the Padres. In nine starts this season, he is 4-1 with a 2.56 ERA. After missing nearly two months with a strained lat he pitched a great game on July 9th, his most recent appearance, throwing seven innings of one-run ball against theBraves.
Game time is set for 5:40 PT.