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Both the
San Diego Padres
and
Los Angeles Dodgers
will be looking to reverse their early-season fortunes as the NL West rivals begin a three-game series Friday at Petco Park.
While the Dodgers have lost two in a row and are 10-12, the defending NL West champion Padres are in worse shape at 8-13.
San Diego already has played 12 home games this season and has been swept by division rivals Colorado and more recently, Arizona.
The Padres had only three runs and 14 hits in their three losses to the Diamondbacks and have been held to two runs or less
in six of their last seven games.
''We're awful right now. We know it,'' Padres manager
Bruce Bochy
said. ''One thing you want to get is good swings. It looks like we have gotten a little defensive. I think some guys have
lost some confidence. For us to be in a rut this long, it shouldn't happen.''
The Padres, who are 2-5 on their current 10-game homestand and just 3-9 at Petco Park in 2006, are last in the NL with 80
runs and ahead of only the
Kansas City Royals
(74). San Diego was 46-35 at home last season, a large reason it won the NL West in 2005 despite an 82-80 record.
''You can't say it's early forever. No excuses,'' said catcher
Mike Piazza
, who hit his 400th career home run in Wednesday's 3-2 loss. ''We haven't been able to put up a crooked number. Runs are hard
to come by. We're just stuck in neutral.''
Right-hander
Chris Young
(2-1, 4.03 ERA) will start for San Diego to try and end the losing streak. He is making his first-ever start against the Dodgers
after spending the last two seasons in the American League with Texas. Young also has started taking medication to alleviate
reduced blood flow to an artery in his pitching thumb and shouldn't cause problems when he starts.
Los Angeles played without three starters in an 8-5 loss Wednesday to Houston. Center fielder
Kenny Lofton
, shortstop
Rafael Furcal
and second baseman
Jeff Kent
all sat out the game after Tuesday's 4-3, 14-inning loss to the Astros lasted four hours and 48 minutes.
''The lineup on the field had nothing to do with the outcome of the game,'' Dodgers manager Grady Little said. ''Their starting
pitcher had a better game than our starting pitcher.''
Both Furcal and first baseman
Nomar Garciaparra
will be looking to end slumps against the Padres. Furcal is 0-for-14 in his last three games while Garciaparra is hitless
in his last nine at-bats after a ninth-inning grand slam Monday.
''The guy's been struggling,'' Little said of Furcal. ''We figured if he takes the day off, watches us play and sits on the
bench and just enjoys himself, with the day off today and the off-day tomorrow, we think we'll see a new man Friday.''
Jae Seo
(0-2, 7.64) starts for Los Angeles and looks to put aside his early-season struggles. The Korean right-hander has allowed
five homers in 17 2-3 innings in his four appearances in 2006, and was reached for five runs and nine hits in 3 2-3 innings
of a 5-4 loss Saturday to Arizona.
Seo is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in two starts against San Diego.
The Dodgers were 11-7 against San Diego in 2005, despite a 71-91 record overall.
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