Rockies at Padres
San Diego tries for a three-game sweep of Colorado on Wednesday and the Padres' Matt Kemp will be sorry to see the Rockies leave town. The right fielder has eight home runs and 22 RBIs in 26 games this season with four homers and 13 RBIs coming in five contests versus Colorado after contributing a solo shot in Tuesday's 6-3 victory.
San Diego has won four of the five meetings in 2016 and 20 of the last 26 encounters at Petco Park, where it is 6-8 this season. The offensively challenged Padres hope to continue getting production from Brett Wallace, who homered, doubled and drove in two runs Tuesday after entering the game hitting .154. The Rockies, who began a 10-game road trip with a three-game sweep of Arizona in which it outscored the Diamondbacks 20-5, had their final 17 batters retired in order Tuesday. San Diego right-hander Cesar Vargas makes his third career start after allowing one run over his first two turns and opposes Tyler Chatwood, who is enjoying a successful return from Tommy John surgery.
TV: 3:40 p.m. ET, FSN San Diego
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Tyler Chatwood (3-2, 2.73 ERA) vs. Padres RH Cesar Vargas (0-0, 0.87)
Chatwood has alternated wins and losses in his five starts after allowing five hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings of a 9-0 victory in Arizona on Saturday. The 26-year-old Californian has pitched at least six innings in four of his five starts while boasting a 1.28 WHIP and 20 strikeouts against seven walks in 29 2/3 innings.
Chatwood is 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA in five games (three starts) versus San Diego, but hasn't faced the Padres since 2013.
Vargas allowed four hits and three walks while striking out six in 5 1/3 scoreless innings of San Diego's 5-1 victory at Dodger Stadium on Saturday after permitting a run, five hits and three walks in five frames of the Padres' 11-2 loss to St. Louis on April 23. "He was outstanding once again," manager Andy Green told reporters about the 24-year-old Mexican. "That cutter really plays. He drops his curveball in and expands the zone with both of them very well. The main thing with him, it’s a low heartbeat. He’s relaxed on the mound ... he just doesn’t seem to be rattled or fazed." Vargas, who was not drafted, recorded 23 strikeouts over 23 innings in his four starts this season, including two at Double-A San Antonio prior to his promotion.
WALK-OFFS
1. Padres CF Jon Jay is 10-for-19 with nine RBIs with runners in scoring position this season.
2. Rockies LHP Jorge De La Rosa (strained groin) threw a bullpen session Tuesday and could make two rehab starts in the minors before coming off the disabled list.
3. The Padres have won 103 straight games when leading after eight innings — the second-longest active streak in baseball behind the New York Yankees (133). Washington's 107-game streak was snapped Tuesday when Kansas City scored three in the ninth to prevail 7-6.