Padres Preview: 05/07 vs. Nationals

A successful series in Mexico now complete (I mean, unless you really want to talk about that whole no-hitter thing) brings the Padres back to the beautiful confines of Petco Park to resume their homestand against the visiting Montreal Expos Washington Nationals.

Tyson Ross (2-2, 3.28 ERA) has been a consistent part of the Padres starting rotation. In his last performance in San Francisco, Ross went 6 innings and only 1 run on 4 hits, punching out 9 and walking 3. If you dive into Tyson’s last 4 starts his ERA is even better at 2.35. His career record against the Nationals isn’t quite as stellar: Ross is 2-1 with a 4.76 ERA in 3 starts and 6 total appearances against the Natinals. Though Ross has been much better than advertised this season his start may be overshadowed by the visiting pitcher for good reason.

Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images

San Diego native and Aztec for life Stephen Strasburg (3-3, 3.47 ERA) will make a rare appearance on the mound. This will only be the 4th time Strasburg has appeared in Petco Park for a start. The righty has had a slower start to his season compared to the stellar numbers he’s put up over his past couple seasons: he struck out 11 Pirates in his last game and seized his first win in over a month. Overall Strasberg boasts a 6-2 record with a 2.94 ERA facing San Diego. Padres hitters will have to unpack some of the success they’re bringing back from Monterrey in order to challenge a pitcher who would be a staff ace on most other teams.

Tonight’s game picks up at 7:10 PM Left Coast Time. Let’s see if the Padres can make it 3 in a row!

Game Time: 7:10 PM PST
TV: FSSD, Fox Sports Deportes (Spanish)
Radio: 97.3, XEMO 860 (Español)