San Diego @ Pittsburgh preview
PNC Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 21, 2009 ) San Diego 11, Pittsburgh 6
After a rough start to their road trip, the San Diego Padres should find smoother sailing at their next stop as they open a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.
The leaders in the National League West, the Padres are coming off a series against the Atlanta Braves in which they lost two of three games, including an 8-0 drubbing in the rubber game on Thursday.
San Diego still has a three-game lead in the West over the San Francisco Giants and now goes from facing the team with the best record in the league to the one with the worst.
Pittsburgh is 27 games under .500 (34-61) but has managed to play respectable baseball at PNC Park, posting a 23-23 record. San Diego is no slouch on the road, though, with a 25-20 mark, and the Padres have feasted on the National League Central so far this season, going 12-5.
With division rival San Francisco in Arizona to face the lowly Diamondbacks, this three-game set is an important series for the Padres to bounce back and pick up some momentum, regardless of how the Pirates have played at home. The Padres also need to win the series to at least break even on their current six-game road trip.
Pittsburgh is currently 4-3 on its 10-game homestand to open the second half of the season. The Pirates just split four games with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Kevin Correia (6-6, 5.22 ERA) gets the start for the Padres, who scored zero and one run in their two losses in Atlanta. Correia, who is 2-2 in his last 10 starts, is going to need a little more run support than that.
In his last 10 outings, Correia has allowed five runs or more five times. He has also allowed 10 home runs in that span, including four games in which he has given up two homers.
The Pirates counter with Paul Maholm (6-7, 4.03).
Maholm is coming off one of the best starts of his career in his last outing, a three-hit shutout of the Houston Astros on Sunday. Maholm faced two batters above the minimum and threw only 103 pitches for his first complete game since April 27, 2008. It was his second career shutout, with his other one also coming against Houston on April 24, 2007.
The subject of some moderate trade talk - the Los Angeles Dodgers may be interested in acquiring the left-hander - Maholm has allowed two runs or less in three of his last four starts.