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Petco Park was not a friendly place for the
San Diego Padres
during the first month of the season, but now they don't want to leave.
The Padres (18-16) wrap up their best homestand of the season Thursday when they host the
Milwaukee Brewers
(17-17) in the finale of their three-game series.
The Padres dropped 11 of their first 14 games at home, averaging just 2.57 runs per game in that span. They have won six of
their last seven there, however, scoring 4.29 runs per contest.
San Diego improved to 5-1 on its current homestand with a 3-0 win over the Brewers on Wednesday. The victory came one night
after the Padres' nine-game winning streak was snapped in a 5-4 defeat.
Catcher
Josh Bard
, who was acquired from Boston on May 1 for
Doug Mirabelli
, had a two-run double in the fourth inning and later scored on
Eric Young
's RBI single. Bard also put in a strong defensive effort in the fourth when he was run over at home plate by the Brewers'
Corey Koskie
but held on for the out.
''Our team's focused and trying to go out there and play good baseball regardless of whether someone's trying to run you over,''
Bard said. ''That's the key for us to grind this out for 162 games.''
The recent surge has lifted San Diego into third place in the NL West, 1 1/2 games behind first-place Colorado. All five teams
in the division are separated by 3 1/2 games.
Jake Peavy
(2-3, 4.17 ERA) will try to follow up with another strong pitching performance when he takes the mound for San Diego. The
right-hander allowed one run and five hits over six innings in his last outing, a 2-1 win over the
Chicago Cubs
on Saturday, but left with no decision.
Peavy is 0-1 with a 3.18 ERA in four career starts against Milwaukee.
While the Padres have improved their play at Petco, the Brewers can't wait to get back home. Milwaukee fell to 1-4 on its
road trip and was held without a run for the fourth time this season on Wednesday.
''We smoked about 10 balls at them,'' Brewers manager
Ned Yost
said. ''They made great plays in the outfield. We just didn't have anything to show for it. They did a great job defensively.''
Ben Hendrickson
(0-0, 2.79) will try to help Milwaukee rebound Thursday when he gets his second start of the season and first ever against
the Padres. The right-hander, who was called up from the minors on April 27, allowed three runs and four hits over five innings
but got no decision against the
Los Angeles Dodgers
on Saturday.
The Brewers will return home Friday, where they are 11-6 on the season, to open a three-game series with the
New York Mets
.
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