Ross battles his way to quality start in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH-- It was clear from the beginning of Tyson Ross's start on Friday night in Pittsburgh that the right-hander did not have his best stuff. 12 pitches in, he had walked the first two batters he had faced in the ballgame.

What happened next would be symbolic of his night.

Ross induced a double-play ground ball off the bat off Corey Dickerson. He did allow an RBI double to Josh Bell, but stranded him at second; getting out of the first inning with only one run allowed. It could have been much, much worse.

So was the night for Tyson Ross. He obviously did not have his best stuff or the normal bite on his slider, but the 31-year-old battled his way to a quality start. The Padres starter threw six innings, giving up five hits and two earned runs. He walked a season-high four batters and struck out two, throwing 59 of his 100 pitches for strikes.

Ross induced eight swinging strikes on the evening and only could manage one 1-2-3 inning. He left the game with a 3-2 lead.