Game 36 Preview: 05/14 Padres vs. Nationals

After capping their road trip with a win and series split against the Mariners last night, the Padres return to Petco Park to begin an eight-day, seven-game homestand.

It all starts tonight as the Nationals come to town for a four-game set. Tyson Ross is tasked with shutting down the red-hot Nats, who come into tonight's matchup having won 12 of their last 15 games to bring them to a 19-16 record. The Padres aren't too far behind, at 18-17 on the season, but they've been struggling on both sides of the ball lately while the Nationals seem to have everything going right for them.

Ross is 0-3 in his last five starts, and his only win of the season was back on April 12th against the Giants at home. His ERA over that 0-3 stretch is a 4.08. He's put up a couple of solid starts going into tonight's game, keeping opponents to two runs each time out while lasting seven and six innings, respectively. Ross has four career outings, but only one start, against the Nationals, which took place last year and resulted in a loss. He's 0-1 with a  4.76 ERA in those four outings.

Washington Starter Doug Fister has only faced the Padres once in his career, back in 2011 as a Mariner. He threw a complete game, allowing only one run. Fister is 2-1 with a 2.87 ERA in his six starts this season.

Editor's Note: SB Nation's partner FanDuel is hosting a $100,000 one-day fantasy baseball league today. It's $3 to join and first place wins $8,000. Enter now!