The Padres will send another rookie to the mound this morning as they try to lock down the series in Atlanta. Burch Smith gets the ball in the series finale at Turner Field. The righty is in his fourth stint with the Padres this season and is still looking for his first major league win. So far his big league career hasn't been smooth sailing, as he's gone 0-1 with a 9.17 ERA in seven games (four starts). Tonight will be his first start since September 6th, when he pitched five innings of two-run ball while collecting seven strikeouts
Facing Smith will be Braves rookie Julio Teheran. The right-hander has been solid for Atlanta this season, compiling a 12-7 record and 3.05 ERA. He lost his only previous outing against the Padres back in June. He gave up five runs on six hits through six innings of work at Petco Park. But Teheran has excelled in his 14 starts at home, where he's 7-3 with a 2.62 ERA and an average of almost ten strikeouts per nine innings.