Mat Latos

Hiroki Kuroda pitched seven shutout innings and Matt Kemp had two hits and drove in the only run and the Los Angeles Dodgers shut out the San Diego Padres 1-0 on Tuesday. Kuroda (7-13) snapped a four-game losing streak, allowing four hits while striking out eight and walking two. It was his second strong outing in San Diego this season, as he also shut out the Padres in April. Kemp had two hits and drove in the only run, adding to his NL best RBI total (84) as the Dodgers beat San Diego for a fifth consecutive time.

San Diego Padres rookie first baseman Yonder Alonso feels as if he is just starting to get comfortable at the plate. The Padres hope Saturday's performance is a sign of things to come. Alonso hit a three-run double in the first inning and singled as the Padres topped the Kansas City Royals 8-5. Alonso is one of four players the Padres received in a Dec. 17 deal that sent pitcher Mat Latos to the Cincinnati Reds. Alonso thinks he is seeing the ball better and his timing has improved.

Cliff Pennington hit a go-ahead two-run double in the sixth inning and righthander Trevor Cahill shook off an unusually rough start to record his team-leading 13th win as the Athletics edged the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-3, last night in Oakland, Calif. Cahill, who allowed just one earned run in his previous 33 innings, gave up a pair of home runs and was in trouble until Pennington’s two-out hit off reliever Dan Wheeler. Cahill got plenty of help from Oakland’s defense, which turned two double plays.

Edinson Volquez dealt with a case of nerves Thursday as he pitched in a San Diego Padres uniform for the first time. The veteran pitcher allowed a run and two hits in two innings as the Padres lost to the San Francisco Giants 5-2. Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner struck out five in three shutout innings in his spring debut. "First time in this uniform," Volquez said. "I don't always get nervous, just this time, especially with a new organization and a lot of eyes on me. A friend told me sometimes it's good when you're nervous, but you can't be scared.

Even though he wound up on the wrong side of the decision, Chris Carpenter thinks he’s getting closer. Chase Headley doubled home the go-ahead run in a two-run eighth inning, and San Diego handed Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals a 3-1 loss Wednesday, ending the Padres’ season-worst five-game losing streak. Carpenter (1-5), the 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner, has struggled to regain the form that has seen him lead all major league starters in winning percentage over the past seven seasons.

The Colorado Rockies had a whole bunch of problems Sunday when the San Diego Padres had runners on base with two out. Dexter Fowler had another terrific game in the leadoff spot, but the Padres won 7-2 to snap a nine-game losing streak. San Diego scored in three innings, with each of the runs coming with two out. Jeremy Hermida and Will Venable had three RBIs apiece. "I thought we had a terrific chance to get out of all those innings, but we didn't," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said.

Casey Coleman paid the price after hitting his first career triple. The Chicago Cubs' starting pitcher ended Mat Latos' bid for a no-hitter by tripling into the gap in right-center with one out in the sixth inning Monday night. All he really did, though, was get himself tired. He was stranded, and the Cubs went on to lose 2-0. "I had a chance at one in Milwaukee earlier in the year and held up at second, and people gave me grief about it," he said. "Tonight, tie game, one out, I'm definitely going for it. But at the same time, it's been a long year and I got a...

Jason Marquis pitched six solid innings and Michael Morse hit a two-run homer to lift the Washington Nationals to a 2-1 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday night. Marquis (7-2) picked up right where he left off last Sunday at San Francisco where he shut out the Giants through 5 2-3 innings before he was ejected for hitting Justin Upton with a pitch. He was suspended for five games and fined him an undisclosed amount. But he appealed the suspension and fine, and is able to pitch until there is a decision on his appeal.

The San Diego Padres' young hitters got a valuable, if ugly, lesson courtesy of Clayton Kershaw. They managed just one run off the Los Angeles Dodgers' ace in a 4-1 defeat Monday night, their fifth loss in a row. "It's a great test for some of our players with less service time," Padres manager Bud Black said. "It's good experience for them. " Kershaw retired 13 of his last 14 batters and the Dodgers' defense turned three double plays to stifle the Padres, who are last in the NL West.

Edinson Volquez dealt with a case of nerves Thursday as he pitched in a San Diego Padres uniform for the first time. The veteran pitcher allowed a run and two hits in two innings as the Padres lost to the San Francisco Giants 5-2. Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner struck out five in three shutout innings in his spring debut. "First time in this uniform," Volquez said. "I don't always get nervous, just this time, especially with a new organization and a lot of eyes on me. A friend told me sometimes it's good when you're nervous, but you can't be...

Being traded from the Chicago White Sox to his hometown San Diego Padres couldn't have been any more convenient for All-Star outfielder Carlos Quentin. "I get a call and they said I've been traded to San Diego. I'm already here," Quentin said on a conference call shortly after the trade was announced Saturday. Four years after trading Quentin from Arizona to the White Sox, new Padres general manager Josh Byrnes is bringing him home. Byrnes made his second bold move in two weeks when he acquired Quentin for two prospects.

You want established pitching? Then you will pay through the nose for it. That's the precedent set by the deals that transpired before Christmas: The Rangers won the posting bid for Japanese star Yu Darvish for $51.7 million, the Reds acquired Mat Latos from the Padres for four prospects, the Nationals gave up four prospects for Oakland lefty Gio Gonzalez, and the Diamondbacks gave up three prospects for A's righthander Trevor Cahill. A look at what's left for teams to go after at each position: Starting pitchers 1. Matt Garza, Cubs - The...

The price tag for Mat Latos was daunting. The Reds were willing to pay it. The Reds addressed their biggest offseason need yesterday, acquiring the righthanded starter from San Diego for a package of four players that includes two top prospects. Cincinnati gave up infielder Yonder Alonso and catcher Yasmani Grandal - both first-round picks - along with starting pitcher Edinson Volquez to get the 24-year-old Latos, who initially will move into the No. 2 spot in the rotation behind Johnny Cueto.

Mat Latos was perfect through four innings and took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Granted, it was against a Chicago Cubs lineup full of prospects in a matchup between teams that now each have 90 losses. Still, Latos had a strong finish to an uneven season as he pitched the San Diego Padres to a 2-0 win on Monday night. Latos struck out nine and allowed only two hits in seven innings. It was the third win in five September starts for Latos. Last year, he went winless in September as the Padres bumbled their way out of the NL West lead, missing the playoffs even though they...

Casey Coleman paid the price after hitting his first career triple. The Chicago Cubs' starting pitcher ended Mat Latos' bid for a no-hitter by tripling into the gap in right-center with one out in the sixth inning Monday night. All he really did, though, was get himself tired. He was stranded, and the Cubs went on to lose 2-0. "I had a chance at one in Milwaukee earlier in the year and held up at second, and people gave me grief about it," he said. "Tonight, tie game, one out, I'm definitely going for it. But at the same time, it's been a long...

Mat Latos hardly considered it a bad day even if he watched two home runs by Carlos Beltran sail over the right-field wall. The way Latos started this season, small strides are noteworthy. Beltran connected twice to give him 300 career homers, helping Tim Lincecum end a three-start winless stretch in the San Francisco Giants' 3-1 win over Latos and the San Diego Padres on Wednesday to complete a rare sweep in this rivalry. The 23-year-old Latos began the year on the disabled list and then lost his first five decisions.

Mat Latos pitched his best game in a month on Tuesday night, and came away with nothing to show for it. It's tough pitching for the San Diego Padres. Latos tossed seven sparkling innings but the Padres were shut out for the 16th time in a 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hiroki Kuroda (7-13) struck out eight in seven innings for Los Angeles, allowing just four hits and two walks. "It was a well-pitched game by both guys," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Kuroda was solid, Mat matched him. They snuck one across.

Joba Chamberlain went home to Nebraska over the All-Star break. He played with his 3-year-old son and just stayed away from baseball for a while. “Probably the best four days I’ve had in my life,’’ he said. It also turned out pretty well for the New York Yankees. Chamberlain won for the first time in almost a month and the Yankees got home runs from Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez in a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers yesterday at Yankee Stadium, completing a three-game sweep of the AL Central leaders that moved them within one game of the Red Sox in the AL East.

Mat Latos has had a very small margin for error this season. The San Diego starter hasn't gotten much offensive support from his teammates, who have scored just 66 runs in his 28 starts. Friday night was no different as Latos pitched well, but left after seven innings with the score tied 2-2. Reliver Chad Qualls faltered in the eighth, allowing the tie-breaking run on a two-out single by Arizona's Lyle Overbay as the Diamondbacks rallied for a 3-2 win over the Padres. Overbay's hit drove in Aaron Hill, who led off the eighth with a walk against reliever Qualls (6-7)