Padres Preview: 07/07 Drew Pomeranz closes out his first half in series opener against Dodgers

A strong finish in Arizona gave the Padres a series win and put them on a happy flight back to Southern California. The final series before the All-Star Break begins tonight against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, where they’ll try to end the first half of the 2016 season on a high note.

This season’s most pleasant Padres pitching surprise, Drew Pomeranz, will get the ball for the series opener in L.A. The Padres southpaw went 7-7 with a 2.65 ERA through his first 16 starts this year, including one fantastic outing against the Dodgers. On May 1st, he threw seven innings of one-run ball at Chavez Ravine, allowing only three hits and a walk while striking out five, though some poor run support landed him the loss. In fact that was his fourth career loss against the Dodgers. In seven games (five starts) against them, he is 0-4 with a 4.39 ERA.

Much of the focus going into tonight’s matchup, however, will be Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu making his return to the mound. It’s been almost two years since Ryu’s last pitch for the Dodgers, during game 3 of the National League Division Series in 2014. He’s fought his way back from injury to make it to tonight. He’s coming off a five-game stretch of rehab starts between Single-A Rancho Cucamonga and Triple-A Oklahoma City. He reportedly averaged 86 mph, though the Dodgers are hoping his velocity will benefit from a little adrenaline rush in his first start back. He’ll also try to build on his past success against San Diego. He’s posted a 0.84 ERA en route to a 4-0 record in five career starts against the Padres.

Game time: 7:10 pm PT
Radio: The Mighty 1090, La Poderosa 860 (Sp.)
TV: FSSD, Fox Deportes San Diego (Sp.)