San Diego @ Colorado preview
Coors Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 13, 2010 ) San Diego 6, Colorado 4
As bad as the San Diego Padres have been lately, they’re still in the NL West driver’s seat heading into Tuesday’s game against the Colorado Rockies.
San Diego (81-62) snapped Colorado’s 10-game winning streak with a 6-4 win on Monday, moving the Padres one half game in front of the San Francisco Giants while leaving the Rockies 2 1/2 games off the pace.
The loss was Colorado’s fifth against the Padres in the last 16 meetings between the two teams.
San Diego shortstop Miguel Tejada led the way in the series opener, going 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. It was the first time the Padres' offense managed more than four runs in a game since Aug. 26.
The Padres only manage 4.22 runs per game with a .247 batting average from their offense on the year.
San Diego will send Jon Garland (13-11, 3.52 ERA) to the mound as he looks to snap a three-game losing streak.
Garland was roughed up by the Giants in his last trip to the hill, allowing six runs and three homers while walking three over five innings of a 5-3 loss. The 6-foot-6 right-hander has also walked at least eight batters in eight straight starts.
Garland has lost both of his starts against Colorado (79-65) this season, posting a 5.06 ERA. He didn’t make it out of the fifth inning the last time he faced the Rockies, allowing two runs and seven hits.
Colorado counters with Jason Hammel (10-7, 4.34 ERA), who is 2-0 over his last five starts.
Hammel gave up five runs on eight hits over seven innings while striking out six the last time he took the mound, which resulted in a no-decision in a 6-5 win over the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds. He allowed all five runs in the first two innings before settling into a good rhythm and giving up only three hits the rest of the way.
Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez continue to provide strong run support for the Rockies’ pitching staff. Tulowitzki, who was just named the National League's Player of the Week, had a three-run blast on Monday and is now batting .375 with nine home runs and 20 RBIs over the last 12 games.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez leads the National League with a .337 batting average and also has 32 homers and 101 RBIs. He has feasted off Garland over his career, going 9-for-15.