San Diego Padres Come Back for Seconds: Harang vs. Richard Rematch

Aaron Harang (0-1, 6.23) vs. Clayton Richard (1-0, 0.00)

Lineup:

Gwynn LF

Mark Ellis 2B

Kemp CF

Rivera 1B

Ethier RF

Uribe 3B

Sellers SS

A.J. Ellis C

Harang P

Tony Gwynn Jr. gets the start in left field, and Justin Sellers will play short to give Dee Gordon a night off. James Loney is benched with a left hander on the mound, and Juan Rivera will play first base tonight.

Court proceedings were being held today, and we expect the sale to be approved this afternoon. We will keep you updated.  

The Dodgers will try to seek revenge on San Diego pitcher Clayton Richard tonight after he was instrumental in the Dodgers’ lone loss of this season thus far. The 8-4 loss last Sunday included an awful homecoming performance by Aaron Harang who only lasted 4 1/3 innings and allowed 4 hits on 7 hits, walking 5 and striking out 6 at Petco Park. Harang has said he felt “tense” in his start against his former team. Clayton Richard pitched very well, and essentially shut the Dodgers down other than a Bison blast. The eighth inning got ugly when Scott Elbert dished up a meatball to Chase Headley who proceeded to take him deep for a grand slam homerun. If it not for that grand slam, it is possible the Dodgers could be undefeated in the season right now.

Tonight will be Aaron Harang’s debut at Dodger Stadium wearing the blue and white. In his career, Harang is 3-5 against the Padres with a 4.24 ERA. The Padres lineup has hit Harang well. Jeremy Hermida has 15 at bats against Aaron, and boasts a .467 batting average against him with two homeruns. Cameron Maybin and Kyle Blanks also have hit dingers off the big righty.

While we have our Clayton, the Padres have their own southpaw with the same moniker. Clayton Richard has notoriously silenced the Dodgers during his career. He is 5-1 with a 2.18 ERA against the boys in blue. If you remember, Juan Uribe has hit him the best. Uribe has a .444 average with 2 homeruns in 18 at bats versus Richard. In 16 at bats, Andre Ethier has a .125 average against Clayton, and has trouble hitting Richard.

First pitch will be at 7:10 pm, and the game will be televised on Prime Ticket. Unfortunately Vin Scully is still recovering from his bad cold, and he will not be joining us during the game this evening. We look forward to his return this weekend. The Dodgers are winning and playing very well, but the missing void left by Scully’s sickness makes the hot streak bittersweet for me.

The Dodgers have not been rained out at home since April 17, 2000. This morning there were some very close lightning strikes, and the loud thunder shook my house. It looks like it’s supposed to rain throughout the evening, so we may not see the Dodgers play tonight. Let’s hope for a break in the storm!

Let’s go Blue!

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