Game 42 Preview: 05/21 Padres vs. Cubs

The Padres and Cubs close out their series at Petco Park tonight with a rubber match pitting Odrisamer Despaigne against Kyle Hendricks.

Despaigne's had a couple of rough starts in a row, allowing a combined 15 runs - all earned - over his last two starts. While the right-hander took advantage of some spot starts at the beginning of the season, he's since regressed and will likely need to put up an impressive performance tonight to keep his temporary spot in the rotation. Despaigne has excelled at Petco Park, putting up a career 2.90 ERA in 13 games (10 starts) at home, as opposed to his 5.80 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) on the road. Tonight he'll be facing the Cubs for the first time in his short career.

Hendricks is making his third career start against San Diego, but his first at Petco Park. He's 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in his first two starts, including a six-inning, two-run effort on April 18th at Wrigley Field.

If the first two games of the series are any indication, tonight will be a close game in which the Padres will have to rely on some solid pitching and capitalize on the Cubs' errors. Tune in at 6:10 pm PT to see the finale.