San Diego @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 11, 2016 ) Colorado 3, San Diego 2

When the Colorado Rockies begin making offseason decisions, keeping Charlie Blackmon as the leadoff hitter and center fielder will probably be their easiest. Blackmon, who enters his second year of arbitration and can expect a huge raise from his $3.5 million salary in 2016, hopes to continue his across-the-board career season when Colorado hosts the San Diego Padres for a three-game series beginning Friday.

Blackmon is batting .319 with 27 home runs and 73 RBIs, but unlike many Rockies - past and present - isn't padding his numbers at Coors Field. "He's done a lot of damage on the road, which is good to see because it gives him even more credibility on a national level," Colorado manager Walt Weiss told reporters about Blackmon, who is .320-17-32 away from home and .318-10-41 at Coors Field. "He's turned into a big-time player." The Padres (62-84) own a three-game winning streak after damaging the Giants' playoff hopes with a sweep in San Francisco this week while the Rockies (69-77) lost all three in Arizona despite scoring 19 runs. San Diego's Christian Friedrich and Colorado's Tyler Chatwood are coming off victories last weekend when the Padres took two of three against the Rockies.

TV: 8:40 p.m. ET, FSN San Diego, ROOT (Colorado)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres LH Christian Friedrich (5-10, 4.67 ERA) vs. Rockies RH Tyler Chatwood (11-9, 3.82)

Friedrich matched a career high with 10 strikeouts while allowing two hits in seven shutout innings of a 6-3 victory on Saturday. The 29-year-old Illinois native, who was drafted 25th overall by Colorado in 2008 and pitched three seasons with the Rockies, was 0-8 in his previous 12 appearances. Blackmon and Carlos Gonzalez are each 1-for-6 against Friedrich, who hasn't yielded an earned run in two outings covering 13 innings against the Rockies - recording a no-decision June 12.

Chatwood permitted one run and five hits over 6 2/3 innings of a 4-1 victory last Friday in his second start since returning from a back injury to snap a four-start winless streak (0-3, 6.23 ERA) and improve to 4-0 lifetime versus San Diego. The 26-year-old Californian also delivered two hits including a two-run triple, telling reporters: ''I haven't been very good this year, so they were getting on me telling me I needed to bunt for a hit. I told them I didn't need to, that I could still swing it. I got lucky and found some holes.'' Chatwood is 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA versus the Padres this season, allowing 14 hits and striking out 14 in 21 1/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. San Diego SS Luis Sardinas is batting .328 with an on-base percentage of .400 - well above his .239/.285 career numbers - in 21 games with the Padres since being acquired from Seattle for cash considerations.

2. Colorado 3B Nolan Arenado went 8-for-13 and drove in three runs during the Arizona series, increasing his major league-leading RBI total to 121.

3. The Padres need one victory this weekend to win consecutive season series over the Rockies for the first time since 1998-99.

PREDICTION: Rockies 6, Padres 5