Los Angeles @ San Diego preview
Petco Park
Last Meeting ( Sep 6, 2010 ) LA Dodgers 2, San Diego 4
It will be a different feeling for the San Diego Padres when they show up to the ballpark for Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres will be looking for a second consecutive victory.
San Diego broke a 10-game losing skid by beating the Dodgers in Monday’s series opener and will look to win back-to-back games for the first time since Aug. 25. On that day, the Padres defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks to culminate a three-game winning streak.
The Padres went into a deep funk after that win and saw a sizable 6 1/2-game lead over the San Francisco Giants dwindle to a one-game advantage.
However, San Diego got back into the win column on Monday by scratching out runs during a 4-2 victory. Aside from Nick Hundley’s solo homer, the Padres scored their other three runs on a fielder’s choice, an infield single and a sacrifice fly.
San Diego also used seven pitchers after ace Mat Latos was scratched with the stomach flu.
Latos will start Tuesday’s game instead and the Padres have to feel good about winning the first game of the series without using their top starter.
Latos (13-5) leads the National League with a 2.25 ERA and opponents are batting just .193 against him. No starting pitcher in the majors has been harder to hit against than Latos.
Latos has allowed two runs or less in 14 consecutive starts and has been spectacular in his last four outings, striking out 35 batters and allowing just 19 hits and four walks in 26 innings.
He hasn’t beaten the Dodgers this season despite making two starts against them. Latos is 0-1 against Los Angeles even though he has allowed just three earned runs and six hits in 11 innings.
Clayton Kershaw (11-9, 3.01 ERA) starts for the Dodgers and he is just 1-4 over his last seven starts despite giving up two runs or less in five of the outings.
Kershaw has struck out 11 in two of his last three starts, losing both times.
The left-hander has defeated the Padres twice this season, posting an 1.26 ERA in 14 1/3 innings. Kershaw is 4-2 with a 2.55 ERA in nine career starts against San Diego.
Los Angeles shortstop Rafael Furcal went 3-for-5 on Monday after going just 1-for-8 in his first three games since coming off the disabled list with a back injury.
San Diego first baseman Adrian Gonzalez has gone 14-for-32 (.438) during a nine-game hitting streak. However, Gonzalez has struck out 10 times in 22 career at-bats against Kershaw. Gonzalez has a .136 average against Kershaw.
Padres closer Heath Bell got the save Monday in his first opportunity since Aug. 19. Bell has converted 25 consecutive saves since late May.