Colorado @ San Diego preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 23, 2018 ) San Diego 3, Colorado 4

The Colorado Rockies begin a 23-game stretch against the National League West when they kick off a four-game series against the Padres in San Diego on Thursday. Colorado is one-half game behind first-place Arizona in the NL West and is also in the thick of the wild-card race, one game behind Milwaukee for the second and final spot.

"It's going to be fun," Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez told reporters after hitting a two-run homer in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. "It's going to be a big month ahead of us and every team in this division. We're going to face each other a lot and it's going to be a long stretch facing division rivals. We're excited and ready for the challenge." Gonzalez (.294, 15 home runs, 56 RBIs) is a big part of Colorado's success, going 11-for-26 with four RBIs during a six-game hitting streak and batting .323 since the All-Star break. The Padres (52-83) completed a two-game sweep of Seattle 8-3 on Wednesday as rookie Luis Urias, the No. 32 prospect in all of baseball entering 2018 according to Baseball America, recorded his first three major league hits in his second game. The Rockies' German Marquez tries for his seventh straight quality start and 10th in 11 outings and opposes rookie Eric Lauer, who returns after a stint on the disabled list with a strained left forearm.

TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network; FS San Diego, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Colorado)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH German Marquez (11-9, 4.21 ERA) vs. Padres LH Eric Lauer (5-7, 5.30)

Marquez earned a no-decision after allowing three hits and one walk while striking out nine in seven shutout innings of Colorado's 9-1 victory over St. Louis on Saturday. The 23-year-old Venezuelan is 6-1 with a 2.57 ERA in his last 10 starts, lowering his ERA by 1.32. Eric Hosmer is 3-7 with a home run while Wil Myers is 2-for-10 with five strikeouts against Marquez, who is 2-2 with a 5.14 ERA in seven games (five starts) versus San Diego - 0-1, 2.25 in two turns this season.

Lauer struggled in three starts after the All-Star break, going 0-2 and yielding 14 runs over 11 innings before sustaining the injury while earning a no-decision in San Diego's 5-3 loss to San Francisco on July 30. The 23-year-old Ohio native and 25th overall pick in the 2016 draft was solid in eight starts prior to the break, going 4-2 with a 2.33 ERA. Lauer was hit hard in his major league debut, permitting seven runs (six earned), six hits and four walks in three innings of an 8-0 loss at Colorado on April 24.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Rockies have a minus-13 run differential while Arizona is plus-84 and the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are one game behind in the NL West, plus-127.

2. Padres CF Manuel Margot (.253) is 8-for-16 in his last five games after going 3-for-4 with a home run and double Wednesday.

3. Colorado has won nine of the 15 meetings in 2018, including four of six in San Diego, as it tries for its third straight season series victory over the Padres.

PREDICTION: Padres 3, Rockies 2