Gaudin pumped for packed PETCO
San Diego (34-44) vs. Los Angeles (50-29), 7:05 p.m. PT
Corey Brock / MLB.com
SAN DIEGO -- The anticipation of pitching in a soldout PETCO Park on Friday held some interest to Padres pitcher Chad Gaudin on Thursday, though the same couldn't be said for who he'll be pitching against.
Gaudin gets the start against the Los Angeles Dodgers and outfielder Manny Ramirez, in his first game back following a 50-game suspension.
To be clear, Gaudin is excited about pitching in a packed stadium, though he's not putting any more stock in facing Ramirez than any of the other hitters in the Dodgers' lineup.
"It's going to be great to have a heightened crowd with a lot of fans. It's a great atmosphere to pitch in," Gaudin said. "[Ramirez] is a good hitter. It's like getting another guy out. All I do is try to get him out. It's no different.
"I don't have to go out there and pitch him different because he hasn't played. He's played for the last week. He's been working out. He wasn't hurt. He can still play."
Ramirez is 5-for-11 lifetime against Gaudin with two home runs.
Ramirez is hitting .227 with one home run this season against the Padres. He tortured them a year ago when he hit five home runs and drove in 14 runs against them in nine games.
As for Gaudin, he won't change anything about the way he's been pitching lately just because of Ramirez. The Padres likely wouldn't stand for that, given his success in his past two starts where he's allowed two runs in 15 innings with 20 strikeouts in posting two victories.
In his last start against Texas, Gaudin allowed on hit in eight scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in a game the Padres won, 2-0.
"Boy, that was just a great game," Padres manager Bud Black said. "What a performance. I've seen a lot of games in this park from this dugout and that was one of the best pitched games I've seen."
Pitching matchup
SD: RHP Chad Gaudin (4-6, 4.97 ERA)
Gaudin was brilliant on Sunday against the Rangers, allowing one hit over eight shutout innings.