Padres at Phillies
San Diego's streaky offense once again is trending in the wrong direction. One day after suffering their fourth shutout loss of the young season, the Padres aim for an offensive resurgence Wednesday in the third contest of their four-game series against the host Philadelphia Phillies.
San Diego opened its season with three straight shutouts against the Los Angeles Dodgers before rallying for 29 runs in its next two games. Since then, the Padres have totaled seven runs in three contests, including a four-hit shutout Tuesday at the hands of Charlie Morton and three relievers. The only constants for the Padres' offense have been outfielders Melvin Upton Jr., Matt Kemp and Jon Jay - all of whom are batting over .300. The Phillies' offense hardly has been a work of art, but their starting rotation has been solid - a trend the team hopes will continue Wednesday with Jerad Eickhoff on the mound.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, FSN San Diego, TCN (Philadelphia)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Colin Rea (0-0, 12.46 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Jerad Eickhoff (0-1, 3.60)
After a short relief appearance earlier last week, Rea made his first start of 2016 on Friday against Colorado and needed 90 pitches to record 10 outs. He gave up five runs, six hits and four walks in that outing and has a .350 opponents' batting average on the young season. Rea suffered a 4-3 loss to Philadelphia last summer, allowing four runs over five innings - including a home run by Darnell Sweeney, who currently is in the minors.
Eickhoff yielded three runs - two earned - over five frames in his season debut, absorbing the loss in a 7-2 setback against the New York Mets. That outing marked the second-shortest start of Eickhoff's career, which began with eight turns last season. He never has faced the Padres, nor has he pitched to any of their active hitters.
WALK-OFFS
1. The teams combined to go 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position on Tuesday.
2. Phillies RHP Jeanmar Gomez notched the save Tuesday and has allowed two hits without issuing a walk in four innings this year, converting all three of his save opportunities.
3. Philadelphia OF Odubel Herrera recorded an RBI triple Tuesday to extend his hitting streak to five games.