San Francisco @ San Diego preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 9, 2010 ) San Francisco 7, San Diego 3

The San Francisco Giants delivered an impressive opening salvo and will look to make it two consecutive victories in a pivotal division series when they meet the San Diego Padres on Friday night in San Diego.

The Giants moved within one game of the first-place Padres in the National League West with a power-packed 7-3 victory on Thursday. San Francisco used four homers and Matt Cain’s pitching to beat San Diego for just the third time in 12 meetings this season.

Aubrey Huff and Buster Posey hit two-run homers and Juan Uribe and Pat Burrell had solo shots for the Giants, while Cain gave up three runs and five hits in eight-plus innings.

Jonathan Sanchez will be on the mound for the Giants on Friday and the left-hander hopes to fare better against the Padres then he did on Aug. 13.

Sanchez pitched the opening game of a series in San Francisco just days after boasting the Giants were going to sweep the Padres and move into first place for good. Instead, he lasted just 5 1/3 innings and gave up three runs as the Giants lost and eventually fell 6 ½ games out of first place.

This time, Sanchez had nothing to say leading up to the crucial series.

Sanchez hasn’t beaten the Padres in four starts this season, going 0-3 with a 3.08 ERA. His biggest moment as a major-leaguer came last season against San Diego when he tossed a no-hitter.

Sanchez enters the series on a roll, having thrown seven innings of three-hit shutout ball to beat Los Angeles in his last start and holding Colorado to one run and five hits in eight-plus innings while taking a no-decision in his previous outing.

Overall, Sanchez has a 10-8 record and 3.39 ERA.

Padres left-hander Clayton Richard has done the opposite of Sanchez, going 3-0 in four starts against the division rival. Richard has a 2.05 ERA against the Giants in 26 1/3 innings.

Richard had a five-game winning streak snapped by Philadelphia on August 29 and took a no-decision against Colorado in his last outing, when he allowed two runs – one earned – and nine hits in six innings.

Richard is 12-6 with a 3.43 ERA.

Huff went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs on Thursday and is batting .429 (9-for-21) over the last five games. Huff has a .400 average against Richard in 15 career at-bats. Uribe is 6-for-11 (.545) against Richard.

San Diego outfielder Ryan Ludwick hit his first homer since Aug. 12 during Thursday’s game. Ludwick had just two extra-base hits (both doubles) in his previous 23 games.

All three of Ludwick’s previous homers since joining the Padres had been against the Pittsburgh Pirates.