LEADING OFF: Padres try new pitch, Reds-Brewers, O's skid

A look at what’s happening around the majors today:

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NEW PITCH

One day after firing pitching coach Larry Rothschild, the slumping San Diego Padres begin a three-game series at home against the NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 67-year-old Rothschild had been with the Padres for the past two seasons. San Diego has lost nine of 11, falling one game behind Cincinnati for the second NL wild card.

Ben Fritz, the team’s bullpen coach, will be the interim pitching coach for the rest of the season.

After a solid start to the season, San Diego’s staff has a 4.82 ERA in August.

Three of the Padres’ main starters — Yu Darvish, Chris Paddack and Dinelson Lamet — are on the injured list. So is Drew Pomeranz, one of the club's top relievers.

"With 36 games to go, we’re trying to give a different message,” manager Jayce Tingler said.

Julio Urías (13-3, 3.29 ERA) is expected to start for the Dodgers in his return from a bruised calf.

SEEING REDS

Joey Votto and the Cincinnati Reds visit Milwaukee in the start of a three-game series between the top two teams in the NL Central.

The first-place Brewers have a 7 1/2-game advantage over Cincinnati, which leads San Diego by one game for the second NL wild card.

“If we can go up there and sweep them, it’s going to make things real interesting,” Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson said.

Corbin Burnes (8-4, 2.13 ERA) pitches for Milwaukee against Tyler Mahle (10-4, 3.78) as the Brewers look for their 11th victory in 14 games.

Votto is batting .320 since the All-Star break and leads the majors in homers (17) and RBIs (41) during that stretch.

The 2010 NL MVP, who turns 38 on Sept. 10, has 28 home runs — his most since hitting 36 in 2017 — even though he was sidelined for most of May with a...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/LEADING-OFF-Padres-try-new-pitch-Reds-Brewers-16407406.php