ROSS FANS 13 IN SHUTOUT OF D-BACKS

Pads Make 3-Run 1^st Inning Hold Up

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 1 (AP) – Tyson Ross fired a three-hit shutout, striking out 13 Diamondbacks hitters, as the San Diego Padres whipped Arizona 3-0 at Petco Park.  The Padres scored three runs off Trevor Cahill in the bottom of the first inning and made it hold up.  Yasmani Grandal and Will Venable had run-scoring base hits in the opening frame.

It’s been a difficult year for Ross, but not because he’s pitched poorly.  He entered the game with a record of 6-15, but with an ERA below 3.40.  Despite a 2.56 ERA in August, Ross posted a record of 0-3 in five starts and hadn’t been credited with a victory since July 19.  For the season, the Padres have offered Ross just 2.3 runs of support per game, by far the worst mark for any qualifier in the major leagues this year.

On this day, it would be different, if only slightly, in the end.  After Ross pitched around a pair of free passes to keep the Diamondbacks off the scoreboard in the top of the first, San Diego erupted for three runs in the bottom half.  Abraham Almonte led off with a double to right-center and Alexi Amarista drew a walk, putting runners on first and second.  Seth Smith rolled into a fielder’s choice, leaving runners on first and third with one out.  Grandal then doubled into the right field corner, scoring Almonte and advancing Smith to third.  After Jedd Gyorko struck out, Venable came though with a base hit up the middle, plating both runners to give the Padres a 3-0 lead.

And that was the end of the scoring for the duration of the game.  After Ross surrendered a one-out single to Nolan Reimold in the top of the second, he retired the next 13 Arizona batters he faced, beginning by inducing Didi Gregorius to ground into an inning-ending double play.  The Diamondbacks didn’t have another man reach base until David Peralta drew a lead-off walk in the seventh.  After Mark Trumbo flied to right, Miguel Montero’s base hit put runners on the corners.  But Ross rose to the occasion, fanning Jake Lamb and Reimold to keep the shutout intact.  That began another consecutive batters retired streak, this one running nine hitters and ending with the contest’s final out.

Cahill, meanwhile, regrouped nicely for Arizona after the rough first.  He retired 12 of 13 Padres he faced before surrendering a meaningless two-out base hit to Smith in the fifth.  The only other batter to reach off the Diamondbacks starter was Ross, who walked with one out in the seventh.  In fact, after San Diego’s big first inning, the Padres never advanced another man past first base.

Ross was overpowering in the middle innings.  In the midst of the 13-straight batters retired, he fanned seven of nine Diamondbacks at one point, spanning innings three through five. 

The shutout was the second of the season for Ross, and both of them have been against Arizona.  Ross blanked the Diamondbacks on six hits on May 4, also at home.  The 13 strikeouts is a season high for the right-hander, surpassing the 12 punchouts recorded on April 23 in a win over the Brewers at Miller Park in Milwaukee.

Arizona is now a major league worst 6-21 since August 2, when star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was lost for the season.

9/1/2014, Ari14-SD14, PETCO Park

                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP

2014 Diamondbacks      0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0     0  3  0     5  0

2014 Padres            3  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  x     3  6  0     5  1

Diamondbacks         AB  R  H BI   AVG    Padres               AB  R  H BI   AVG

Inciarte          cf  3  0  1  0  .295    Almonte,A         cf  4  1  1  0  .191

Hill,A            2b  4  0  0  0  .221    Amarista          ss  3  0  0  0  .195

Peralta,D         rf  3  0  0  0  .236    Smith,S           lf  3  1  1  0  .253

Trumbo            1b  3  0  0  0  .256     Maybin           ph  1  0  0  0  .206

Montero,M         c   4  0  1  0  .269    Grandal           1b  3  1  1  1  .188

Lamb              3b  3  0  0  0  .172     Medica           ph  1  0  0  0  .209

Reimold           lf  3  0  1  0  .138    Gyorko            2b  4  0  1  0  .203

Gregorius         ss  3  0  0  0  .247    Venable           rf  3  0  1  2  .244

Cahill            p   2  0  0  0  .050    Rivera            c   2  0  0  0  .257

 Ross,C           ph  1  0  0  0  .252    Spangenberg       3b  3  0  1  0  .333

 Perez,O          p   0  0  0  0  .000    Ross,T            p   2  0  0  0  .080

 Harris           p   0  0  0  0  .000                         29  3  6  3

                     29  0  3  0

Diamondbacks                     INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Cahill           L 5-6           7.0  6  3  3  3  4 107  66  6.24

Perez,O                          0.1  0  0  0  0  0   3   2  3.40

Harris                           0.2  0  0  0  0  1   9   6  7.56

                                 8.0  6  3  3  3  5 119  74

Padres                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA

Ross,T           W 6-16          9.0  3  0  0  3 13 108  67  3.23

                                 9.0  3  0  0  3 13 108  67

Ari: Ross,C batted for Cahill in the 8th

SD : Maybin batted for Smith,S in the 8th

     Medica batted for Grandal in the 8th

     Almonte,A moved to lf in the 9th

     Maybin moved to cf in the 9th

     Medica moved to 1b in the 9th

2B-Almonte,A(11), Grandal(15). RBI-Grandal(31), Venable 2(30).

SB-Inciarte(14). K-Hill,A, Peralta,D 2, Trumbo 2, Montero,M, Lamb 2,

Reimold 2, Gregorius 2, Cahill, Gyorko, Rivera 2, Ross,T, Medica.

BB-Inciarte, Peralta,D, Trumbo, Amarista, Rivera, Ross,T.

GWRBI: Grandal

Temperature: 55, Sky: clear, Wind: left to right at 17 MPH.

Attendance: 19,922

Game Time: 2:24