Padres look to best A's on Way Back Wednesday

SAN DIEGO -- Rookie left-hander Joey Lucchesi will be activated from the San Diego Padres' 10-day disabled list Wednesday morning to face the Oakland A's in the finale of an abbreviated, two-game homestand at Petco Park.

Lucchesi (3-2, 3.23 ERA) will oppose A's right-hander Frankie Montas (3-1, 2.67) as the Padres seek to snap a four-game losing streak during a run of in which they play 17 of 19 games on the road.

The 25-year-old Lucchesi has been on the disabled list since May 14 when he suffered a strained glute muscle while making his ninth major league start. He made one rehab start with Advanced Class-A Lake Elsinore last Thursday and hit a batter with six strikeouts over four hitless, shutout innings.

"Obviously, he's going to be monitored a little bit," Padres manager Andy Green said of Lucchesi. "We're strong enough in the bullpen to cover whatever we need to cover. I can see him going five innings and, in an ideal world, going six. There's no anticipation of more. Five or six is what you're expecting from a No. 4 or 5 starter anyways, so that's plenty enough to give us some length. We're not going into this with the expectation of his glute flaring up. We expect him to be healthy. He felt good in his rehab outing. He bounced off the mound and made a play."

The Padres were looking to the two games against the A's as a brief respite from a streak during which they play only five home games in a span of 32 days.

"I've never seen a schedule like this," said Green.

But the A's ruined the Padres' hopes of a two-game sweep Tuesday night with a game-tying, two-out homer in the ninth by Stephen Piscotty and a game-winning, two-run homer in the 10th by Jed Lowrie. After that 4-2 A's victory it will be up to Montas to complete the sweep.

Montas was recalled from Triple-A Nashville May 27 for his first stint with the A's this year and is scheduled to make his fifth start Wednesday afternoon. Montas won each of his first three starts and allowed two runs or fewer while tossing six or more innings in each of those starts while posting a 1.25 ERA.

He lost his most recent start against Houston in Oakland last Thursday, however, allowing seven runs (five earned) on 11 hits and four walks with a strikeout over 5 1/3 innings. Before joining the A's, Montas went 1-5 with a 4.39 ERA in nine starts with Nashville, including a 1-2 mark with a 3.24 ERA in four starts in May.

Montas has never faced the Padres. Lucchesi will also be facing the A's for the first time.

In his last two starts, including the one when he injured his glute muscle, Lucchesi gave up four runs on 12 hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in 10 innings. Lucchesi had given up seven homers in 25 2/3 innings in his five starts prior to going on the disabled list.