Padres at Rockies
THE STORY: The San Diego Padres look to continue their recent hot
streak when the play the finale of a three-game series against the host
Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. The Padres have won four of their last
five, including two in a row against the slumping Rockies, who have
dropped six consecutive games. Mat Latos struck out nine over 8 2/3
innings Tuesday in San Diego's 2-1 victory.
TV: 3:10 p.m. ET, ROOT Sports (Colorado)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Anthony Bass (1-0, 1.88 ERA) vs. Rockies RH Aaron Cook (3-9, 5.97).
Bass
is making only his second major league start - and coincidentally, the
first also came against the Rockies. The rookie made his big league
debut at Colorado on June 13, allowing one run on five hits in a 3-1
victory. Bass hasn't been as overpowering as his low ERA suggests,
walking 18 and striking out 21 in 38 1/3 innings, but he has continued
to get out of trouble. He pitched one inning of perfect relief in his
last outing against the Rockies on Sept. 3. Cook, arguably the worst
starting pitcher in the National League this year, has seen his ERA rise
by nearly a full run over his last six outings. He was pulled from the
rotation after taking back-to-back losses, the latter against San Diego
on Sept. 4. Cook's only game since was an ugly relief appearance Sept.
16 against San Francisco, when he allowed three runs in one inning. Cook
is 14-6 with a 2.98 ERA against the Padres in his career.
ABOUT THE PADRES (67-88):
San Diego has gotten solid work all year from its pitching staff, which
ranks fourth in the major leagues in ERA. The group has been
particularly sharp of late, allowing nine runs in the Padres' last five
games and 15 in the last seven. The offense, meanwhile, has sputtered,
ranking 28th in the major leagues with 571 runs scored.
ABOUT THE ROCKIES (70-84): Colorado has been plagued by late-season
injuries - shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (hip) returned as a pinch-hitter
Tuesday, but first baseman Todd Helton (back) and left fielder Carlos
Gonzalez (wrist) remain out. The Rockies have survived those absences,
scoring 21 runs during the six-game skid, but a pitching staff that has
been shaky all year has surrendered 45 runs over that span.
FINAL PITCH: San Diego first baseman Kyle Blanks was pulled from Tuesday's game after straining his right quadriceps in the first inning.