Mark Kotsay reported improvement with his lower back Sunday. Kotsay had to exit Saturday's game with tightness in his lower back, but although he won't play Sunday, it appears he'll avoid a DL stint. "He said last night that tomorrow [Sunday] will be big," Padres manager Bud Black said. "When I saw him (Sunday), he said that it felt good. We're going to do the best we can to stay away from him (Sunday)."