Los Angeles @ San Diego preview
Petco Park
Last Meeting ( May 14, 2010 ) LA Dodgers 4, San Diego 3
When Kevin Correia takes the mound on Saturday night he will be doing so with a heavy heart. It will mark the first start for the San Diego Padres right-hander since the death of his younger brother.
Correia was placed on the bereavement list on Tuesday, three days after 22-year-old Trevor Correia fell to his death from a 60-foot cliff while hiking in Southern California.
Correia missed his scheduled start on Sunday after learning of the tragic news, but Padres manager Bud Black said his pitcher is likely looking forward to getting back on the field.
His return will come in the second of a three-game series against the divisional-rival Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park.
The Dodgers took Friday’s opener, 4-3, thanks to Matt Kemp’s go-ahead two-run home run in the seventh inning. That was enough as five relievers combined hold the Padres scoreless for five innings in the Dodger’s fifth consecutive victory.
The Padres, who had their three-game winning streak snapped, will be eager to get Correia back as well as he has been strong through six starts. Before taking a tough loss in his last outing, Correia had won four straight decisions.
Correia, who is in his second season with the team after starting his career with the San Francisco Giants, is 4-2 with a 3.97 ERA for the season.
The 32-year-old has made seven career starts and 21 appearances against Los Angeles, going 4-1 with a 4.31 ERA.
Facing the Padres will be young left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who has been tough to figure out over his worst and best starts, respectively, of the season.
Kershaw was tagged for seven runs on five hits of a 1-6 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on May 4. He followed it up in his next outing with eight shutout innings, allowing just a pair of hits while striking out nine in a 2-0 victory over the previously unbeaten Ubaldo Jimenez and the Colorado Rockies.
The 22-year-old will be keen on facing San Diego, a year after dominating against the team but having no wins to show for it. Kershaw went 0-2 with a 2.18 ERA in those four starts, but was plagued by walks, issuing 14 in 20.2 innings.
In 2010, Kershaw is 2-2 with a 3.96 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings.
Andre Ethier continues to knock the cover off the ball in May for the Dodgers with an RBI double on Friday. Ethier is batting .478 with five home runs and 18 RBIs midway through the month.