Padres Preview: 05/22 Friars look to Colin Rea for the sweep against the Dodgers

With Andrew Cashner expected to return from the DL in a couple of days, the Padres have a big decision to make about who will stay in the big league rotation. Some may argue that today's starter, Colin Rea, is a lock. But a solid performance in today's series finale against the Dodgers definitely wouldn't hurt his case.

As the Padres close out this series, they'll be looking to Rea to lead them to a sweep. The right-hander has already tasted victory over the Dodgers once this season. He threw six frames and allowed two runs in his start against them in L.A. on April 30th. He also got a no-decision against them last September when he gave up two runs in five innings of work. Rea is coming off a couple of rough outings, which makes today's game even more important for him. Over his last two starts he's given up seven combined runs through ten innings.

Rea, Maeda have something to prove in finale

"The expectation for him is what it is every game: pound the zone early, attack hitters and expand the zone later,'' Padres manager Andy Green said. "And when he does that, he is successful. When he pitches the other way and expands early and struggles to find the strike zone, it gets tough for him.

As for Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda, he'll be trying to turn his luck around. Since starting his season with a 3-0 record and 0.36 ERA (including an absolutely dominant performance over the Padres during Opening Week), the 28-year-old is 0-3 with a 5.82 ERA over his last four starts. He's coming off his worst outing of the season, a four-frame performance that saw him give up four earned runs.

Game time: 1:40 pm PT
Radio: The Mighty 1090, La Poderosa 860 (Sp.)
TV: FSSD, Fox Deportes San Diego (Sp.)

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