Game 80 Preview: 07/01 Padres vs. Mariners

After one of the most frustrating losses of the season last night, the Padres will try to redeem themselves in the finale of the two-game series against the Mariners at Petco Park.

James Shields makes the start for San Diego, looking to bounce back after putting up his worst performance of the year his last time out. Shields went just four innings in San Francisco, allowing seven earned runs on nine hits to the Giants in a game that rivaled last night's in terms of frustration. The Padres came back from a seven-run deficit only to give all those runs back and then some, ultimately losing to the Giants 13-8.

But despite that most recent outing, Shields remains the most consistent and reliable pitcher the Padres have on staff. He's 7-2 with a 4.24 ERA on the season. He last faced Seattle on May 13th at Safeco Field, where he kept the Mariners to just one run on six hits in six innings, striking out nine batters along the way. Overall Shields is 5-4 with a 3.87 in 15 career appearances against Seattle.

Taijuan Walker was almost as good as Shields in that May 13th game. He, too, pitched six innings, but gave up two runs on four hits while collecting six strikeouts. That was his first and only career appearance against San Diego.

The young righty is 6-6 with a 4.64 ERA this season, but his June numbers were a great improvement over April and May. In five starts last month Walker went 4-1 with a 2.36 ERA.  His most recent outing saw him go seven innings while keeping the Angels to only one run. He's also gone three straight starts without issuing a walk - that's 20 1/3 consecutive innings walk-free.

Game time: 12:40 pm PT
TV: FSSD, Fox Deportes San Diego (Sp.)
Radio: The Mighty 1090, La Ponderosa 860 (Sp.)

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