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Chris Young
nearly threw a no-hitter Friday to help the
San Diego Padres
hold onto their lead in the NL West. The Padres hope
Jake Peavy
can follow that up with a dominant effort when he takes the mound against the
Pittsburgh Pirates
on Saturday night.
San Diego (81-72) maintained a half-game lead in the division with a 6-2 win over the Pirates on Friday night. Young was one
out away from a no-hitter before giving up a two-run homer to pinch-hitter
Joe Randa
.
Adrian Gonzalez
drove in three runs for San Diego, winner of seven of 10 overall and 12 of its last 14 home games. The Padres stayed a half-game
ahead of Los Angeles, which beat Arizona 2-0.
''It was frustrating because you hate to get that close,'' San Diego catcher
Mike Piazza
said of the near no-no. ''I'd rather lose it in the seventh or the eighth, but the ninth is tough. But a win's a win. You
have to look at the big picture.''
Following Young's outstanding outing, the Padres hope for a strong performance from Peavy (9-14, 4.25 ERA), whose ugly record
is due in part to a lack of run support.
The Padres haven't scored a run in 10 of his 30 starts this season, including three of his last seven and five of his last
10.
Peavy was given a 4-0 lead against the Dodgers on Monday, however, but squandered it and allowed four runs and nine hits in
five innings. San Diego went on to lose 11-10 in 10 innings.
Before not receiving a decision in that start, the right-hander had alternated wins and losses in his previous seven starts.
Peavy's 14 losses are a career high. He went 28-13 over his last two seasons.
The right-hander is 3-1 with a 2.14 ERA in five starts against the Pirates. He'll be facing them for the first time this season.
Chan Ho Park
could be available to pitch out of the bullpen for San Diego on Saturday. The right-hander has been on the disabled list since
Aug. 22 after undergoing surgery to stop intestinal bleeding. Park is 7-7 with a 4.70 ERA in 21 starts.
''I'm ready to be in the bullpen,'' said Park, who made two relief appearances at the start of the season. ''One or two innings,
I will do my best. ... It makes it more special being in a pennant (race).''
The Pirates (65-89) will counter with
Zach Duke
(10-13, 4.49), who has pitched well in his last two starts after struggling for much of the season. Duke allowed two runs
over 16 innings in those games, throwing eight innings Sunday in a 3-0 win over the
New York Mets
.
''I feel like I'm doing the things I wanted to do this year,'' said Duke, whose ERA was a season-high 5.51 on July 24. ''That's
very gratifying.''
The 23-year-old left-hander has made one start against the Padres. He allowed three runs and four hits in seven innings of
6-4 win at PNC Park on June 3.
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