Padres at Nationals
The Washington Nationals' big guns were electric on the mound in the first two games of their series against the visiting San Diego Padres, and youngster Joe Ross will attempt to follow suit in the finale of the set Sunday afternoon. After Max Scherzer struck out a season-high 13 in 8 2/3 innings of Friday's 5-1 win, Stephen Strasburg notched a career-high 15 in seven frames to lead the Nationals to a 3-0 victory Saturday.
Strasburg also singled and scored the first run of the game for Washington, which is 4-1 on its six-game homestand. Ross will look to build upon the best of his four appearances for the big-league team this year. He will be facing a Padres club that has been held to two runs or fewer in seven of the past 11 games - the latest of which left San Diego (18-33) with the worst record in the majors. Jhoulys Chacin gets the nod for the Padres after a dismal outing in his previous turn.
TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, FSN San Diego, MASN (Washington)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Jhoulys Chacin (4-4, 5.74 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Joe Ross (2-0, 5.32)
Chacin had allowed three or fewer earned runs in seven of his last eight starts prior before he failed to get out of the first inning at the New York Mets on Tuesday. The outing left him with a 10.94 ERA in six road starts, compared to 0.67 in four appearances at home. The 29-year-old is 3-2 with a 3.09 ERA in six career starts against Washington and has allowed one run in 20 innings at Nationals Park.
Ross had a 7.47 ERA in three April starts but put it all together in his return to the majors Tuesday against Seattle. He limited the Mariners to one run on five hits with six strikeouts in eight innings of a 10-1 victory. Ross, who was drafted in the first round by the Padres in 2011, is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in two career encounters against them.
WALK-OFFS
1. Padres OF Manuel Margot (calf) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Saturday and OF Franchy Cordero was recalled from Triple-A El Paso.
2. Nationals 3B Anthony Rendon is 9-for-18 with four homers and nine RBIs in his last five games.
3. Padres SS Erick Aybar is 0-for-11 over a four-game span and his average has fallen to .196.