Milwaukee @ San Diego preview
Petco Park
Last Meeting ( Apr 29, 2010 ) Milwaukee 0, San Diego 9
In a campaign full of early-season surprises, the San Diego Padres may just be the biggest of them all.
Finishing no better than third in the National League West since capturing consecutive division titles in 2005 and 2006, the Padres have suddenly made themselves relevant again.
With Thursday’s 9-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, they have just two losses in their 13 previous games and sit alone in first place, 1 ½ games ahead of the San Francisco Giants.
Leading the charge in victory was Yorvit Torrealba, who drove in three runs, and Jerry Hairston Jr., who had a pair of hits and brought in two runs. All 13 of the Padres’ hits were singles, including a string of seven straight in the fifth inning.
Starter Wade LeBlanc tossed 6 1/3 scoreless frames for the win.
The teams will be back at it in the second of the four-game set on Friday at Petco Park, where San Diego is 8-2.
Taking the hill for the Padres is Clayton Richard, who remains the lone starter on staff yet to record a win. He has pitched strongly despite failing to crack the win column.
Richard, who hasn’t allowed more than three runs in each of his four starts, is 0-2 with a 3.75 ERA with no-decisions in the two past outings.
The 26-year-old is in his first full season with San Diego following a midseason trade from the Chicago White Sox in 2009. He went 9-5 with a 4.41 ERA in 38 appearances -- 26 starts -- last season. He is 1-0 in three career starts against Milwaukee.
Opposing him is Dave Bush, who will be looking to get back on track following a disastrous start against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. He was shelled for nine runs -- seven earned -- 10 hits, four of which were home runs, before being chased in the fourth inning.
Bush entered that outing with a team-best ERA of 2.41, but left with one of 4.84. He has one win and one loss on the season.
Bush has been stronger on the road, allowing two runs in 13 innings, and will eye similar success against the Padres.
Suddenly the once-streaking Brewers have dropped six of seven games to fall near the bottom of the NL Central, despite being one of the league’s better offensive squads.
Milwaukee ranks first in the NL in runs scored, slugging percentage and on-base percentage, and are second in batting at a .279 clip.