Padres' Pedro Avila: Works in relief Wednesday
Avila made his first appearance Wednesday for Triple-A El Paso since being optioned to the affiliate July 3, working a scoreless inning in relief while allowing one hit and one walk in an 11-10 extra-inning win over Oklahoma City.
Avila had made 15 of his previous 18 appearances with El Paso as a starter, but he ended up working behind Aaron Brooks on Wednesday as the Triple-A club treated the game as a bullpen day. The Padres haven't provided an explanation behind the decision, but it's possible that Avila worked in relief in an effort to keep him fresh ahead of a possible spot start this weekend in Detroit. The Padres will need a starter Saturday to fill in for the injured Michael Wacha (shoulder), and Avila could be a logical choice to step in, given that he has a spot on the 40-man roster and has been starting in the minors. Ryan Weathers is another candidate to get the call-up from Triple-A to fill in for Wacha.
