As the San Diego Padres continue to build for the future, Tyson Ross remains a big part of the process.
All-Star Tyson Ross will try to pitch the San Diego Padres to a series victory when the club wraps a three-game set with the Chicago Cubs.
Ross (8-10, 2.70 ERA) has lost four of his last six outings despite allowing seven earned runs in 43 innings, striking out 42 and walking six.
The righty logged seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball, also working around three walks while striking out six.
He's 2-6 over his last nine starts as San Diego (44-56) has backed him with 10 runs, with half of them coming Saturday when he gave up four hits in seven innings of a 6-0 victory over the New York Mets.
"He was in command," Padres manager Bud Black said of Ross, who has a 1.47 ERA over his last six outings.
We've talked about the maturity, the development of Tyson the last month or so," manager Bud Black said. "About what it means to be one of those guys at the front end of the rotation, to stop losing streaks and put zeroes on the board, to really throw great games, to really shut down opponents.
"He is starting to do that."
Ross improved to 8-10 with a 2.70 ERA following only his second victory in his last eight decisions.
The 27-year-old will make his first career start versus the Cubs, who counter with Edwin Jackson tonight.
Jackson has plenty of experience against the Padres, but no victories to show for it. The right-hander is 0-5 with a 6.94 ERA in 11 games (9 starts) against the club, getting shelled for eight runs over four innings of an 11-1 setback in San Diego on May 23.
Jackson's current winless stretch reached five in a row (0-3) with a no- decision at Arizona on Friday. The 30-year-old allowed three runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 frames.
"I thought he minimized damage," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said of Jackson. "He looked very confident, very poised. I thought he threw the ball well. Well enough to give us a chance to win the ballgame."
Jackson is 5-10 on the year with a 5.61 ERA.
The Padres pulled even in this series with an 8-3 win on Wednesday, with Tommy Medica notching three hits and two runs batted in.
San Diego enters tonight's matchup after winning the final two games of its three-game set against the New York Mets. Odrisamer Despaigne flirted with a no-hitter in Sunday's finale before the Padres pulled out a 2-1 win.
"He had all four pitches working from different angles. His stuff was good enough to keep them off-balance," Padres manager Bud Black said.
Despaigne pitched 7 2/3 no-hit innings in just his fifth major league start for the Padres. The 27-year-old Cuban's final line included a run on two hits and three walks.
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San Diego managed to win the game when Josh Edgin was unable to handle Seth Smith's chopper back to the mound to score Cameron Maybin in the bottom of the ninth.
Chicago, meanwhile, has lost five in a row after getting swept by Arizona over the weekend. The Cubs are comfortably settled in the cellar of the National League Central, 13 1/2 games back of the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers and 10 games behind fourth-place Cincinnati.
Getting the call for the Cubs on Tuesday will be righty Kyle Hendricks, who will be making his second big league start. Hendricks did not get a decision in his first one against the Reds, as he allowed four runs and five hits in six innings of his team's 6-4 win.
"I thought he handled it well," Cubs pitching coach Chris Bosio told the team's website. "I thought he handled it better than I did. I was at a point where I felt I was going to get thrown out trying to battle for your pitcher. He battled and he persevered and hung in there. That's what you have to do as a young pitcher."
Chicago split four games with the Padres earlier in the year.
