In a matchup of young left-handed starters, the stat sheet favors the visiting San Diego Padres when they face the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.
Rookie MacKenzie Gore (3-1, 1.71 ERA) will start for San Diego, while the Brewers will counter with Aaron Ashby (1-3, 2.70).
The Padres are 13-5 vs. left-handed starters while the Brewers are 9-10.
The Padres snapped a season-high four-game losing streak and evened the four-game series with Milwaukee with a 7-0 victory Friday night behind Joe Musgrove, whose no-hit bid was broken up by Kolten Wong’s two-out double in the eighth. Musgrove got the final out in the eighth before giving way to Craig Stammen.
Musgrove (6-0) walked three and hit one batter with six strikeouts in his 114-pitch outing, lowering his ERA to 1.64 and handing the Brewers their fifth shutout loss of the season. Musgrove has the only no-hitter in Padres history in a 3-0 victory over the Texas Rangers on April 9 of last season.
Manny Machado on Friday had a three-run homer off reigning Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, who was tagged for five runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings, his shortest start of the season. The Padres had 13 hits but stranded 11 runners.
The victory came after the Padres let the series opener slip away 5-4 on Thursday night when the Brewers rallied with four runs in the ninth. San Diego came into Milwaukee after being swept in three games in St. Louis.
“We left some guys on again today, but we got some in,” San Diego manager Bob Melvin said. “Had 13 hits and, based on the way things have been going recently, that’s a little bit of a load off.”
Gore, 23, has allowed just one run in his last 16 innings. In his most recent start, he allowed just two hits over seven scoreless innings, striking out nine with three walks, but did not get a decision in the Padres’ 4-2 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday. He has allowed just one home run in 42 innings.
Ashby, 24, will make his 12th appearance and sixth start of the season. He is coming off a career-best 12-strikeout start in a 3-1 win Monday over the Cubs, allowing one run on five hits in six innings.
“This is what we think Aaron is going to be,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said after Ashby’s last start. “He’s throwing the ball really well, and he’s just got big-time stuff. You can just kind of tell from the looks from the hitters on the other side, they’re having trouble with his stuff.”
Ashby started against San Diego on May 25, allowing an unearned run in 5 2/3 innings, but did not get the decision in the Brewers 2-1 win. Milwaukee is 4-1 in Ashby’s starts.
Milwaukee’s injury woes continued to mount with shortstop Luis Urias coming out after three innings Friday with right-thumb discomfort. Urias moved from third to short when Willy Adames went on the injured list in mid-May.
Reserve infielder Mike Brosseau was placed on the 10-day IL Friday with a sprained right ankle. Starting pitchers Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff are on the IL, as are relievers Jake Cousins and Jandel Gustave, catcher Omar Narvaez and outfielder Hunter Renfroe.
–Field Level Media
