Padres Surging
The San Diego Padres’ offense is clicking, and it’s costing the run-challenged Colorado Rockies.
The surging Padres (11-7) look to complete a three-game sweep of the Rockies on Sunday when the teams meet for the series finale at Coors Field.
Oddsmakers have made San Diego -110 point spread favorites (MLB Odds) for todays game, the over/under has been set at 9.5 total runs (View MLB Sports Books). Our public betting information shows that 62% of bets for this game have been placed on San Diego -110 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
San Diego has scored 29 runs while batting .389 (44-for-113) as a team during a three-game winning streak. The Padres also have had at least 10 hits in each of their last five games.
Padres second baseman Marcus Giles extended his hitting streak to 11 games by going 4-for-5 in a 7-3 win on Saturday. Giles is batting .367 (18-for-49) during the streak.
"People talk about the ball looking big, I don’t think that’s true," Giles said. "When you’re going good, you see the ball real clear. It’s not fuzzy right now."
Giles, though, will not start Sunday’s game, and the Padres could look to first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to pick up the offensive slack. Gonzalez hit a solo home run in Saturday’s win – his second homer in the series – and is batting .320 (16-for-50) with three homers and 13 RBIs in 12 career games at Coors Field.
The Padres are seeking their second sweep in their last three series against the Rockies. San Diego swept three games from Colorado Sept. 4-6, and took two of three from April 6-8.
While San Diego’s offense is surging, Colorado’s is struggling. The Rockies (7-11) have managed just five runs while batting .240 (23-for-96) while losing their last three games.
They broke out of a 9-for-60 slump with 14 hits Saturday, including three from third baseman Garrett Atkins. The Rockies, though, stranded 14 runners and left the bases loaded in the seventh and eighth innings.
"We’re swinging the bat well, but just not in key situations," said Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, who had two hits and two walks but flew out to center field with the bases loaded in the eighth. "It was one of those nights. I don’t sense any urgency. There is time."
The Rockies (7-11) have not homered in their last four home games, matching the second-longest drought at Coors Field in team history. They went six home games without a homer in June 2004.
Colorado also is the only team in the majors without multiple home runs in one game this season, despite playing in one of the most notorious hitter-friendly parks in baseball.
For the second time this season, San Diego’s Greg Maddux will face Colorado’s Jason Hirsh.
Hirsh (1-1, 3.38 ERA) got the better end of the first meeting, allowing just one run in 6 2-3 innings to win his Rockies debut April 6. He didn’t allow a walk for the first time in his career and finished with a career-high eight strikeouts in a 4-3 win.
Maddux (1-1, 3.86) gave up four runs in 5 1-3 innings in his Padres debut. In two starts since then, however, the four-time NL Cy Young Award winner has gone 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA.
Maddux, who leads all active pitchers with 334 wins, was 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA in two starts against Colorado in 2006.
Atkins is 6-for-12 with two home runs in his career against Maddux.
by: Michael Cash – thespread.com – Email Us
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