The San Diego Padres have announced that veteran RHP Edwin Jackson will get the start on Sunday against the San Francisco Giants, according to the Padres’ official Twitter account.
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San Diego remains the only big league team without a no-hitter. It certainly was a departure from his first three outings against the Padres this season, when he threw a trio of complete games while holding them to one run on 13 hits in 27 innings.
Jackson had struck out three, walked four and thrown 72 pitches Sunday in his first big league start since 2014.
After striking out Brandon Crawford to open the seventh, Jackson bobbled Gregor Blanco’s grounder for an error and then walked Ramiro Pena before Gillaspie homered deep into the seats in right field.
Jackson looked terrific through the first six frames, but then had to sit for almost 35 minutes while the Padres rallied in the top half of the seventh.
He allowed four runs and six hits in five-plus innings, struck out four and walked three.
Jackson did throw a no hitter back in 2010 when he was with the Arizona Diamondbacks – a game where he threw 149 pitches. The 32-year-old was signed to a minor league deal on June 20 after being cut by Miami. His status was iffy enough that Jake Peavy, who is scheduled to start Tuesday in Boston, watched the early innings from the bullpen. On Sunday morning he had a lot of people believing he was going to make history with that first San Diego no-no.
“He can kind of stabilize us right now”, manager Andy Green said.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy chuckled when asked if the Padres would be tempted to load the lineup with former Royals on Sunday.
Cueto allowed home runs to Kansas City’s Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez in the second inning of the All-Star Game, which the American League won 4-2.
So it, in some odd way, nearly makes flawless sense that a player who had never pitched for the team before, wearing a uniform the team had never used before, will have to be the one to break the streak.
Cueto made it into the sixth, allowing a leadoff walk to Alex Dickerson and a single to Bethancourt before making way for George Kontos. Cueto has been sick all week, and he woke up Sunday with soreness in his left ribcage.
Jackson, nevertheless, left to standing ovation after Gillaspie’s homer. Ryan Buchter pitched for the third straight day with the same result for his 15th hold and Brandon Maurer picked up his third save since taking over for Fernando Rodney.
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Yangervis Solarte’s ninth homer in the seventh game the Padres’ their final run.
