Clay Hensley (7-9, 4.08 ERA) toes the rubber tonight for the Padres as the right-hander looks for another strong home performance this season. In his last six home outings, Hensley has not given up more than two runs per game while registering a 5-1 record in that span.
Hensley tied a career-high with six strikeouts last Wednesday against the Mets in New York, but allowed four runs, nine hits and walked four over six innings of a 4-3 loss. His only career win against San Francisco came in relief on Sept. 27, 2005, when he allowed one hit in 3-2-3 innings.
San Francisco has changed up its starting rotation, bringing Brad Hennessey (4-2, 2.93) back into the mix for his first start since July 1 in place of Jamey Wright.
Hennessey pitched against San Diego in that start, surrendering one run and four hits in six innings of a 4-1, 10-inning loss. In eight relief appearances since then, he has posted a 0-1 record with a 5.73 ERA giving up eight runs and 13 hits in 11 innings. Five of those runs have come in Hennessey's last three outings. Hennessey has no record, a 2.25 ERA and opponent batting average of .171 in two career starts at San Diego.
The bottom line is both teams have been struggling to push runs across the plate over the past week and we look for that trend to continue tonight. Hensley has pitched superbly at home, while Hennessey should be better in his new role as a starter.
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Giants, Padres Under 8.5
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