Philadelphia @ San Diego preview
Petco Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 28, 2010 ) Philadelphia 3, San Diego 1
The way the first two games of their series have gone, it would be hard to decipher which team among the Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies was cruising towards a division title and which team was fighting for a wild card berth.
While San Diego is almost all-but assured of capturing the National League West crown, it has been Philadelphia which has been the better club in this showdown.
The Phillies won their second straight in the three-game set with Saturday’s 3-1 triumph. They’ll go for the sweep on Sunday when a pair of lefties in Cole Hamels and Clayton Richard toe the rubber.
Shane Victorino, who nearly found himself on the bench as he was batting just .220 as a left-hander, sparked the Phillies on Saturday with a pair of RBI base knocks - including a go-ahead triple in the seventh.
The Phillies, who have won the first two of their seven-game road trip after being swept by Houston, grabbed a one-game lead over San Francisco in the wild card standings.
San Diego, meanwhile, has lost three in a row for just the second time this year, but still owns the best record in the NL and a six-game lead in the West.
Hamels (7-10, 3.47 ERA), a San Diego native, won’t have time to enjoy life back at home as he desperately searches for any win he can get.
The left-hander is winless since July 17, going 0-3 in a frustrating stretch in which he has pitched well with nothing to show for it. In his last outing, Hamels gave up two runs in seven innings in a no-decision loss to Houston on Tuesday.
For his career, Hamels has enjoyed success against the Padres, going 3-2 with a 3.18 ERA in eight starts. He faced them once this season, taking a loss despite eight solid innings.
Richard (12-5, 3.55 ERA) knows nothing of struggles like Hamels’ as he will be eying a sixth consecutive victory. Richard hasn’t suffered a defeat since July 22.
Over his last two outings, the lefty has surrendered just one run with 10 strikeouts in 12 2/3 combined innings. He has never faced the Phillies in his career.
Philadelphia closer Brad Lidge earned the save in Saturday’s triumph - his 18th - a day after nearly costing his team a win by balking in the tying run with two away in the bottom of the ninth.