Jedd Gyorko is not in the starting lineup. Thursday’s series opener against the Cardinals will still present the Padres with another opportunity to be antagonized by a former Padre:
Miles Mikolas.
The 29-year-old right-hander is 4-0 with a2.70 ERA, 31 strikeouts and an 0.98 WHP in six starts since returning from Japan via a two-year, $15.5 million deal. Mikolas, however, began his career in San Diego as a seventh-round pick out of Nova Southeastern University in 2009 (Carlos Asuaje’s alma mater).
He made his major league debut in 2012, fashioning a 3.62 ERA in 32 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. He pitched in two games in the majors in 2013 and was traded to the Pirates that offseason in the trade that brought Alex Dickerson to San Diego.
Then he was traded to the Rangers.
Then he was released.
Then Mikolas pitched three seasons in Japan. There, he was 31-13 with a 2.18 ERA, 378 strikeouts and an 0.994 WHIP in 62 starts (424 2/3 IP).
Padres manager Andy Green offered the following scouting report:
“When you sit down and watch his outings this year, he's thrown really well. It's up to 98 mph. It's a four-pitch mix. He throws strikes. It's a low walk rate. It's a name that people don't really know right now because he's coming back from Japan, but his stuff is real and the challenge will be real facing him.
“You have to be able to turn that fastball around when it's there. He throws a lot of curveballs early in counts, too, where he gets ahead of guys. It's a high percent of off-speed stuff for strikes early and that's not easily done by pitchers. A lot of guys have trouble doing that and he's proved so far he's very effective at that this year.”
Pirela in the three-hole
Jose Pirela doesn’t have a home run this year. He hasn’t logged an extra-base hit since April 15. He is hitting .200/.302/.200 since then.
He is in the three-hole on Thursday, anyway, by process of elimination.
“We went back and forth,” Green said. “If it was Franchy (Cordero) in the three and Pirela in the four right now, I probably came to the conclusion that it probably didn't matter all that much. It's one of those things that's probably a toss-up and you don't know which one of those spots will be more of a leverage spot as the game unfolds. Franchy has swung it well when we've left him alone in the four-hole. That's probably the overriding factor in leaving him there. After you’re past that, if you're not moving (Eric) Hosmer down the lineup, you're probably searching for somebody else to put there.”
Notable
- The Cardinals put RHP Carlos Martinez on the 10-day disabled list with a right lat strain. RHP Mike Mayers was recalled from Triple-A Memphis.
- Padres INF Allen Cordoba (concussion) is hitting off a tee in Peoria, Ariz., although his progression remains slow. Cordoba does not have a time table for a return.
TODAY’S LINEUPS
PITCHING MATCHUP | Cardinals at Padres
Game 1: 7:10 p.m. Thursday
Cardinals RHP Miles Mikolas (4-0, 2.70 ERA)
- A seventh-round draft pick of the Padres in 2009, the 29-year-old Mikolas is back in the U.S. after a three-year stay in Japan, where he was 31-13 with a 2.18 ERA. Mikolas and OF Jaff Decker were traded to the Pirates in November 2013 for OF Alex Dickerson.
Padres RHP Jordan Lyles (0-0, 3.66 ERA)
- The 27-year-old is making his first start of the season as scuffling RHP Bryan Mitchell’s replacement in the rotation. Lyles was 1-3 with a 9.39 ERA, 22 strikeouts and a 1.96 WHIP in five starts last year.
Up next
- Friday: Cardinals RHP Luke Weaver (2-2, 5.60) vs. Padres LHP Eric Lauer (1-1, 5.79), 7:10 p.m.
- Saturday: Cardinals RHP Michael Wacha (4-1, 3.35) vs. Padres RHP Tyson Ross (2-3, 3.67), 5:40 p.m.
- Sunday: Cardinals TBA vs. Padres LHP Clayton Richard (1-5, 5.72), 1:10 p.m.