Hundley leads Padres to 6-3 win over White Sox

[March 15, 2012]  PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) -- Edinson Volquez hopes this is the year he bounces back all the way.

Still trying to recover from major elbow surgery a few years ago, Volquez made his second solid start of the spring for the San Diego Padres in a 6-3 win Tuesday over the Chicago White Sox.

Volquez is coming off a disappointing season, going 5-7 with a 5.71 ERA. The Cincinnati Reds later traded him to the Padres in the deal for Mat Latos.

After two strong innings, consecutive walks to start the third inning hurt him as both came around to score.

"I was good except for that one inning," Volquez said. "I lost my control a little bit, lost my focus, threw eight balls in a row."

"But it was important I was able to turn it around and make better pitches. The last thing I want is for the manager to come to the mound and take me out. The game is all about adjustments, and I was able to end it strong with a punchout," he said.

Volquez finished his outing by striking out Adam Dunn.

In his first spring start, Volquez gave up one run in two innings against San Francisco.

"Edinson's stuff was good," Padres manager Bud Black said. "His velocity was good, his changeup was good, and he threw some good sliders. He tends to overthrow a little at times, overstride."

The Padres are working with Volquez on embracing the Padres' pitching philosophy of throwing fastballs down and away.

"In Cincinnati, we worked side to side a lot," Volquez said. "Here, it's fastball down and away, and I like that."

"I got behind a hitter 3-1 today, threw a fastball down and away and got a groundball out. So I like the results," he said.

The White Sox got a good effort from starting pitcher Gavin Floyd, who worked the first four innings, allowing one run and five hits.

"I feel like I'm building a base with each outing," Floyd said. "I felt comfortable, and I was working ahead on the count. I'm progressing."

Floyd, who was 12-13 last season and is 51-45 in four-plus seasons with the White Sox, has been the center of trade rumors this spring.

"I hear things, but until something happens I can't worry about it, he said. "I want to be here. My family has embraced Chicago. It's a second home."

"I guess it's a good thing teams want me, teams are asking about me, but I want to be in Chicago," he said.

San Diego's Nick Hundley went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs to raise his spring average to .467. The catcher, who played in just 82 games last season because of an elbow injury, also threw out a baserunner.

[Associated Press]

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