• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Young hopes All-Star Game was not a sign of things to come

Jul 14, 2007 - 2:57 PM San Diego (49-39) at Arizona (48-43) 9:40 pm EDT

PHOENIX (Ticker) -- Chris Young may have been credited with the All-Star Game loss, but the Dallas native has not lost for the San Diego Padres in two months.

Young takes the mound as the Padres look to avoid a three-game losing streak when they face the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday in the second game of a three-game series.

Named to his first All-Star Game, Young absorbed the loss in the National League's 5-4 setback on Tuesday, giving up the two-run inside-the-park homer to Ichiro Suzuki in his inning of work.

Although he is 4-0 since May 18, Young (8-3, 2.00 ERA) did not receive a decision despite pitching seven scoreless innings in his last start, a 1-0 victory over the Florida Marlins on July 4. The righthander allowed just five hits with no walks and nine strikeouts.

The 28-year-old has allowed just five runs in his last 43 2/3 innings over seven starts.

Young has not yielded more than three earned runs since the last time he faced the Diamondbacks on April 26. Arizona tagged the Princeton alum for six runs - five earned - and six hits in a 7-4 triumph.

Since that setback, Young has been one of the major league's best pitchers, posting a 6-1 record and lowering his ERA from 4.33.

The Diamondbacks will counter with Livan Hernandez (5-5, 4.54), who is winless in his last seven starts.

The 32-year-old righthander has surrendered a home run in his last eight outings, yielding 13 home runs in that span.

Hernandez threw seven innings in his last outing, giving up three runs and 10 hits with four strikeouts in a 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on July 4.