The last time Tyson Ross took the mound, he didn't have a good time. Today as he takes on the Pirates in hopes of securing the series win, he will try to bounce back from his worst start to date. Last Thursday against the Phillies, Ross failed to make it out of the first inning. He gave up six runs on five hits and two walks through just 2/3 of an inning before being pulled from the game. Over his last five starts, he is 0-3 with a 5.40 ERA. That winless streak began almost a month ago in his first and only previous outing against Pittsburgh. He surrendered five runs in 6 1/3 innings of an 8-1 loss against the Pirates at home.
As he tries to avoid another loss and keep the Padres in the win column, the Pirates will counter with Charlie Morton. The right-hander is seeking both his third straight home win and his third career win against San Diego. Though he hasn't faced the Padres since 2009, Morton's career 2-0 record and 1.46 ERA are encouraging for Morton, who is coming off a couple of rough outings, over which he's gone 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA. On September 8th, he was forced to leave the game in St. Louis after just 1 2/3 innings due to plantar fasciitis. In his next start he powered through five innings with a solid effort, but gave up three runs on five hits against the Cubs.
After these last two losses to San Diego, Pittsburgh has dropped to second place in the NL Central, trailing St. Louis by a game. The Padres have now won 10 of their last 14 games and are going for a season-high fourth consecutive road win this afternoon. See who comes out on top when the teams take the field at 4:05.