Brewers at Padres
The San Diego Padres look to halt their skid and avoid a sweep at the hands of Milwaukee when they take on the Brewers in their final home game of the year Thursday afternoon. They'll have to accomplish the feats without Matt Kemp, who is done for the season with a partially torn tendon in his right middle finger.
San Diego suffered its third consecutive loss Wednesday, a 5-0 setback in which it recorded only six hits. Jedd Gyorko and Melvin Upton Jr. each produced two hits for the Padres, who fell to 3-5 on their nine-game homestand and 38-42 overall at Petco Park this year. Milwaukee is seeking its fourth consecutive victory after outscoring San Diego 9-3 over the first two games of the series. Hernan Perez collected three hits and two RBIs on Wednesday as the Brewers improved to 5-4 on their 10-game road trip.
TV: 6:40 p.m. ET, FSN San Diego
PITCHING MATCHUP: Brewers RH Taylor Jungmann (9-7, 3.64 ERA) vs. Padres RH Ian Kennedy (8-15, 4.38)
Jungmann's winless streak reached four starts last Thursday, when he surrendered six runs and six hits over five innings in a loss at St. Louis. The 25-year-old rookie from Texas has not been victorious since Sept. 3, when he limited Pittsburgh to one run and three hits in six frames. Jungmann won his only career start against San Diego on Aug. 5 as he gave up two runs and six hits in seven innings.
Kennedy has gone six outings without a victory, losing four times in that stretch while receiving two no-decisions — including one against San Francisco last Thursday in which he yielded four runs and 11 hits in five innings. The 30-year-old Californian's last triumph came versus the Cardinals on Aug. 22, when he scattered seven hits and struck out 10 over six scoreless innings for his best turn of the season. Kennedy fell to 2-4 lifetime against the Brewers after surrendering four runs and seven hits in seven frames Aug. 5 at Milwaukee.
WALK-OFFS
1. Kemp finished his first season with San Diego with 100 RBIs, marking the third time in his career he has reached the century mark — and first since recording 126 with the Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Milwaukee INF Elian Herrera is unlikely to play again this season due to a deep bone bruise in his right thigh.
3. San Diego has been shut out 19 times this season.