Padres Preview 07/28: Travis Wood makes his Padres debut against the Pirates

Travis Wood will make his Padres debut at home tonight against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. You may better know Travis Wood as one of the 6-players traded in the deal that sent Ryan “Between Two Bases” Buchter, Brandon Maurer “Power” and Trevor Cahill to the Royals. The left-handed Wood is no stranger to the confines of Petco Park, having posted a 2-1 record with a 2.54 ERA in four starts while pitching in his now-home park. His overall stats this season are less sparkling at 1-3 with a 6.91 ERA in 28 appearances on the mound for Kansas City.

Travis is excited to pitch for his new team:

“I’m glad to get a chance to start here, but I’m willing to help wherever they feel they need me.”

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Stepping up against the new Padre lefty is Chad Kuhl, who is coming off a career best seven inning outing against the Phillies and six days of rest. While Kuhl is sitting on a 3-7 and a 4.92 ERA this season, he’s faring much better in the month of July, going 1-1 with a 3.25 ERA. Kuhl gave up only two runs over six innings last year in his appearance against the Friars. The Pirates as a team have been hot since the All-Star break but have also faltered a bit during their west coast voyage, dropping two games to the lowly Giants in their last series and slipping 4 ¹⁄₂ games behind the Cubs.

Here’s hoping the Padres new arm shows promise against the invading Pirates tonight. We may also get to see another major league debut: Kyle McGrath has joined the Padres bullpen. First pitch is slated for 7:10 Left Coast Time.

Game Time: 7:10 PST
TV: FSSD, Fox Sports Deportes (Español)
Radio: FM 94.9, XEMO 860 (Spanish)