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One week after suffering through a season-worst five-game skid, the
San Diego Padres
try to win three straight contests for the first time this year when they conclude a two-game series with
Barry Bonds
and the
San Francisco Giants
.
The Padres (10-15) used a seven-run fourth inning to beat the Giants 10-4 Monday, and are hoping to have another strong May
after a 22-6 surge in the month last season helped propel them to their first NL West title since 1998.
''Here come the Pads of May again,'' said San Diego's
Brian Giles
, who went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs Monday. ''We want to be more consistent than we were in April.''
Bonds remains four homers shy of surpassing
Babe Ruth
(714) for second-place on the career list after going 0-for-2 and getting hit by a pitch Monday. He's hit three home runs
this season, but none since April 26.
Bonds, whose 81 homers against the Padres are his most versus any team, flied out in the first inning and again in the sixth
Monday before leaving the game - perhaps a sign he planned to play in Tuesday's day game.
''He's fine,'' Giants manager
Felipe Alou
said. ''I took him out in hope that he'll be okay (Tuesday). It was cold out here.''
The Giants (13-12) hope the expected return of Moises Alou Tuesday can help them put their stretch of four losses in six games
behind them.
Alou injured his left hip on a ninth-inning double play in Sunday's 8-2 loss to Arizona and didn't play Monday. He's hitting
.360 with seven homers and 24 RBIs this season.
Woody Williams
(1-1, 3.04 ERA) will get the start Tuesday for San Diego, and will be looking to rebound from his first loss of the season.
The right-hander, winless in his last three outings, gave up seven hits and two earned runs in 6 2-3 innings of a 3-2 loss
to the Diamondbacks last Wednesday.
Williams will be facing former St. Louis teammate
Matt Morris
, who is 2-1 with a 5.19 ERA in his first season with San Francisco.
Morris, 5-1 with a 2.43 ERA in 13 appearances against San Diego, is also winless in his last three starts.
Giles was hit by a pitch to start the Padres seven-run fourth inning Monday and capped it with an RBI single. Bonds was hit
in the third by Padres starter
Jake Peavy
, who gave up Bonds' 700th homer on Sept. 17, 2004.
''They're going to do what they feel they need to do and so will we,'' Padres manager
Bruce Bochy
said. ''You have to keep your focus on the game, and the guys did a great job of it.''
The Padres are averaging twice as many runs on the road (5.6) as they are at home (2.8).
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