Kennedy expects fewer nerves in second start

SAN DIEGO -- Pitcher Ian Kennedy figures to be much calmer going into his second start with the Padres than he was during his debut with the team on Sunday.

"I was a little more excited than I wanted to be," Kennedy said. "If you watch me pitch, you'd see that I don't get too excited and try to stay on an even keel."

That was hard to do last week, as four days after being traded to the Padres from the D-backs, Kennedy stood atop the mound at Petco Park for his first start against the Yankees -- the team that drafted him in 2006 out of USC, and a team with several familiar faces on the roster.

"It was [the culmination] of the whole week. I didn't think it would be as stressful," Kennedy said. "But you want to get settled and find a place for your family to live, you're trying to meet your teammates and then you're pitching the next day against the team that drafted you."

Kennedy wasn't nearly as efficient as he wanted to be, needing 98 pitches to get through a start that covered 5 2/3 innings. He allowed two runs, had four walks and six strikeouts while earning the win.

The right-hander will make his second start with the Padres on Sunday in Cincinnati. His catcher, Nick Hundley, is expecting a cooler and calmer Kennedy.

"I think maybe as the game started, you have all that adrenaline, you're with a new team, and maybe you exert a lot of energy early," Hundley said. "It's not a normal start. It's really more like an Opening Day start, but with a new team.

"But he threw the ball great early, battled and gave us a chance to win."