San Diego @ Florida preview

San Diego at Florida

Last Meeting ( Aug 30, 2009 ) San Diego 4, Florida 6

With one winning streak behind them, the San Diego Padres head south to try to start a new one on Monday. Meanwhile, the Florida Marlins just want to get things headed back in the right direction.

The Padres were on the verge of sweeping a third consecutive series before their eight-game winning streak was snapped Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati. They're still a game ahead of the San Francisco Giants for first place in the NL West, in large part because of their pitching staff. During their eight-game win streak, the Padres allowed only 14 runs.

Monday's starter, Mat Latos, was dominant his last time out, outdueling Jonathan Sanchez in the Padres' 1-0 victory against the Giants. The 22-year-old right-hander threw seven shutout innings while dropping his ERA to 3.57. He allowed four hits and one walk. The performance was a stark contrast to his first two starts of the year, in which he gave up seven runs and 13 hits in 10 2/3 innings.

First baseman Adrian Gonzalez comes in as the Padres' hottest hitter, having hit home runs in each of the past four games. Gonzalez went 4-for-12 in the series against the Reds, with three home runs and eight RBIs. He lifted his average to .317, second on the team behind third baseman Chase Headley, who has hit safely in 16 of 18 games - including five in a row.

While the Padres have been streaking, the Marlins have been struggling. Florida has lost its past two series to allow the Washington Nationals to sneak alongside it in a tie for second in the NL East. The Marlins finished their nine-game road trip 4-5 and are eager to return home, where they are 4-3 this season.

Josh Johnson goes to the mound for the Marlins on Monday. After getting knocked around by the New York Mets in his first start of the season, Johnson has shown signs of regaining the form that helped him compile a 22-6 record over the past two seasons.

The 26-year-old right-hander picked up his first win of the year April 15 against the Reds, allowing one run on five hits over six innings while striking out 10. He was somewhere in between in his last outing, when he gave up three runs - two earned - on four hits in six innings at Houston. He didn't factor in the decision.

Marlins third baseman Jorge Cantu had a 21-game hitting streak snapped in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday. The streak dated back to the last four games of the 2009 season and was the longest by a Marlins player since Kevin Millar's 25-game streak in 2002. He started a new one with a double Sunday.

The status of Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera is uncertain after being hit by a pitch in his left knee Saturday in Cincinnati. Cabrera did not start Sunday, but he pinch ran in the ninth, so he could be back in the lineup on Monday.