Veteran Ryan Vogelsong makes his final start of a post- World Series season on Friday night when the San Francisco Giants host the San Diego Padres to open a three-game weekend set at AT&T Park.
The 36-year-old was 14-9 in 31 starts for the Giants en route to the world championship last season, but has won just three times in nine decisions across 18 starts in this, the final year of his contract.
The Giants have a decision on whether to pick up a $6.5 million option on his contract prior to next season.
Vogelsong has gone five starts without a victory since defeating his former team - the Pittsburgh Pirates - with eight innings of scoreless two-hit ball on Aug. 25.
He's 0-2 since while seeing his earned run average rise from 5.58 after the Pirates game to 5.90 after a 6-0 loss to the New York Yankees in his most recent outing on Sept. 21 in New York.
Vogelsong is 3-4 in 15 career meetings with the Padres.
For San Diego, righty Burch Smith makes the 10th appearance of his rookie season.
The 23-year-old has started six games and pitched in relief three times in his initial year, the most recent appearance coming on Sept. 21, when he pitched six innings and allowed two runs in a 4-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
His lone win came one start earlier in Atlanta, where he tossed seven innings of scoreless three-hit ball and struck out 10 in a 4-0 defeat of the Braves on Sept. 15.
Smith has never faced the Giants.
On Thursday in San Diego, Alexi Amarista drove in the winning run in the 11th inning as the Padres took a 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the finale of a four-game series.
With Josh Collmenter (5-5) on the mound, Tommy Medica singled, Jesus Guzman hit a ground-rule double and Nick Hundley was intentionally walked to load the bases. Amarista then punched a single to center to plate the winning run.
Jedd Gyorko and Chase Headley each drove in a run for the Padres, who took three of four in their final home series of the season.
Robbie Erlin gave up two runs on three hits with a walk and seven strikeouts over seven innings in the start. Nick Vincent (6-3) picked up the win for pitching two perfect innings.
In San Francisco, Angel Pagan smacked a solo home run in the eighth inning to lift the Giants to a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the rubber match of a three-game set.
Pagan broke a 2-2 tie when he led off the bottom of the eighth with his fifth homer of the season, which narrowly cleared the wall in left, off Paco Rodriguez (3-4).
Tim Lincecum started for the Giants and went seven innings, yielding both runs on eight hits while striking out six in his final start of 2013. Santiago Casilla (7-2) needed just six pitches to get through the eighth and Sergio Romo set the Dodgers down in order for his 38th save of the year.
Brandon Belt doubled twice and drove in a run for the Giants, who went 11-8 against the Dodgers this season.
The Giants won nine of the first 16 games with the Padres in 2013, a year after winning the 2012 season series, 12-6.
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