Padres at Rockies
While the Colorado Rockies are a different team offensively at home, Justin Morneau remains the same no matter the venue. The veteran first baseman tries to build off a four-hit game when Colorado hosts the San Diego Padres on Sunday in the rubber match of the three-game series. The Rockies lead the majors with a .317 batting average at home but are second-worst on the road at .228 - only ahead of San Diego (.220), with Morneau .317 at home and .311 on the road.
Colorado blew a pair of four-run leads before defeating San Diego 7-6 in 12 innings Saturday as the Padres lost their fourth straight game, but recorded their highest run total in 12 contests. San Diego's Tyson Ross has recorded a team-record 14 consecutive quality starts and opposes Franklin Morales, who is winless in his last seven turns. "We're seeing him grow as a pitcher," manager Bud Black told FSN San Diego about Ross. "We've said that repeatedly all year."
TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, FSN San Diego, ROOT (Colorado)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Tyson Ross (13-12, 2.60 ERA) vs. Rockies LH Franklin Morales (5-7, 5.46)
Ross yielded one run and six hits while striking out eight in a 3-1 victory over Arizona on Monday for his second consecutive victory. The 27-year-old Californian is 7-6 with a 1.93 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 93 1/3 innings while limiting the opposition to a .210 average in his last 14 outings, and hasn't allowed more than six hits during the streak. Ross is 0-3 with a 2.81 ERA in six games (four starts) against Colorado, including a 2-1 loss at Coors Field on July 8 - the fourth in his quality start streak.
Morales received a no-decision after allowing seven runs, nine hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings against San Francisco as the Rockies bailed him out with a 10-9 walk-off victory. The 28-year-old Venezuelan, who is 0-1 with an 8.79 ERA in his last three turns, hasn't won since defeating San Diego on July 8 - a span which included two relief appearances. Morales, who also defeated the Padres 3-1 on April 17, is 5-0 against the National League West this season.
WALK-OFFS
1. Colorado has homered in 10 straight games against San Diego after Morneau and Michael McKenry went deep Saturday.
2. Padres rookie Cory Spangenberg is 5-for-13 with two homers and five RBIs in his first five games after hitting a pinch-hit two-run shot among his two hits Saturday.
3. Rockies 2B DJ LeMahieu on Saturday went 3-for-6, including a lead-off double in the 12th inning before scoring on Drew Stubbs' walk-off single, and is 20-for-46 in 14 games against the Padres this season.