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After taking a pummeling last night by the Braves (much to the delight of #TeamTank), the Padres will send Paul Clemens to the mound against a familiar face and a former top system prospect in Matt Wisler.
Paul Clemens (1-3, 4.68 ERA) is doing his level best to find a spot in the rotation after 6 tryout starts for the Padres. Though his performance has been tepid at best, Paul does have an excellent curveball that he doesn’t throw as often as other offerings. Opponents have only been hitting .135 against Paul’s curve.
Via Andy Green:
Paul has also been struggling with the first 3 innings of his starts (6.66 ERA in innings 1-3) and has said he’ll make adjustments in pregame bullpen sessions in order to get to game speed faster. Paul had a season-high 6 strikeouts in his last start against the Cubs and will look to build on the progress against a fellow tanking team.
Facing Paul Clemens is a familiar name and face: Matt Wisler. The former top Padres prospect was sent to Atlanta as part of the Craig Kimbrel/Melvin Upton Jr. deal and has struggled in spite of his top flight prospect pedigree save for his last start. Wisler threw 7 innings of no-hit ball against Arizona in his last start after coming back from a AAA demotion. The Braves are hoping the demotion and his last start are signs of the promise Wisler has shown in earlier portions of the season. Matt has faced his former club once: a two-run on six-hit effort over a year ago on August 18th, 2015.
In other Padres news, Christian Bethancourt left last night’s game with a left intercostal strain (a strain/tear of the muscles in between the ribs) and will be replaced by Hector Sanchez. Rosters expand on Thursday, so an Austin Hedges sighting will be forthcoming as well. Tyson Ross threw a bullpen session yesterday and will be evaluated for another rehab start. His last start for Lake Elsinore was not promising: Ross allowed four runs in 2/3rds of an inning(!) in his rehab appearance and was noted as missing his spots and generally looking rusty. Here’s hoping Ross can get back on track and possibly make a start for the Padres before the season is through.
Tonight’s game starts at 4:10 Left Coast Time.
Game Time: 4:10 PM PST
TV: FSSD, Fox Sports Deportes (Spanish)
Radio: The Mighty 1090, La Poderosa 860 (Espanol)