Milwaukee @ Washington preview
Nationals Park
Last Meeting ( Apr 17, 2010 ) Milwaukee 0, Washington 8
Wade LeBlanc wants to stick this time.
The 25-year-old left-hander has been pegged as the replacement in the San Diego Padres’ rotation in place of Chris Young, who is out with shoulder stiffness.
LeBlanc has made 13 starts over the previous two seasons with mixed results, going 4-4 with a 5.09 ERA, but after a tremendous spring training it seemed the Alabama product was ready to break camp with the team.
Instead he took his 4-0 record and 1.96 ERA from spring to Triple-A Portland, but LeBlanc gets his shot today against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park.
It just might come at the right time.
The Diamondbacks are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, including the first two games of this series, so the offense is going to be antsy, looking to score early to end their road trip with a win.
LeBlanc got the call despite a slow start in Triple-A this season. He is 0-1 with a 7.20 ERA after two starts, having allowed 13 hits in 10 innings with a walk and 15 strikeouts.
He’ll be backed by an offense that is getting stronger as the season wears on, especially if Padres keep facing the Diamondbacks’ bullpen.
On Friday night, it was Chase Headley and his walk-off home run. Saturday saw Nick Hundley hit his first home run and then add a two-run double on the way to a three-hit night. In the opening series of the season at Arizona, Everth Cabrera and Kyle Blanks had good offensive games.
The Diamondbacks counter with Ian Kennedy, the former Yankees prospect who has looked nothing like the dependable starter he appeared to be in his first spring training with the Diamondbacks.
His ERA is 8.68 after two starts although he has an impressive 10 strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings.
Kennedy’s first start of the year came against the Padres in which he went five innings in a no-decision. He allowed six hits and three earned runs but didn’t walk a batter and struck out eight.
The former No. 1 pick by the Yankees needs to start living up to the potential that scouts have seen in him and trust his two-seam fastball that he threw with confidence all spring.
Arizona, which returns home to take on St. Louis and Philadelphia, is searching for something positive after losing by two walk-off hits and being shut out in its last three games.
The offense, which has been without first baseman Adam LaRoche (right quad) the last three games, had been producing at a high level until being blanked by journeyman Kevin Correia on Saturday.
Mark Reynolds has his power stroke – three home runs among his seven hits – but is hitting just .135. The third baseman is one of those special players that can carry a team when he gets on a roll.
Getting him in a grove would go a long way in getting the Diamondbacks out of their tailspin.