The carousel of starting pitcher tryouts for the San Diego Padres continues with former Halo and 3-time All Star Jered Weaver taking the mound against former Friar James Shields and the White Sox in Camelback Ranch.
After a shellacking against WS runner up Cleveland, the Padres will get their first look at Weaver in game action. The Padres are hoping Jered (12-12, 5.06 ERA last year) still has something left and can provide leadership and innings for a makeshift rotation that has shown flaws so far in Spring Training. Much has been made about Weaver’s fastball speed among fans, so expect some jokes on Twitter during the ballgame. There's definitely no joke to a possible injury to Manuel Margot, who left yesterday’s action with a left knee injury. No structural damage has been shown, but it'll remain to be seen how quickly the Padres will press the young outfielder back into action.
Facing off against the Padres is former Padre and Mr. Accountability James Shields. Traded away from the Padres last year after a disappointing start, Big Game James did not fare well in the Arena League, going 4-12 with a 6.77 ERA in the south side. Shields allowed a run on two hits and punched out two in his last start against the D-Backs.
This game looks to feature former stars who are looking to prove they still have something left to give for their new teams. First pitch is at 12:05 Left Coast Time.