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San Diego Padres
starter
Jake Peavy
looks to avoid losing three straight starts for the first time since his rookie season when he faces the
Los Angeles Angels
in the middle game of a weekend interleague series at Angel Stadium.
Peavy (4-7, 4.96 ERA) has lost back-to-back outings and is trying to avoid a third consecutive defeat for the first time since
he lost his first three major league starts from June 22-July 6, 2002.
Peavy struck out 10 batters his last time out, but gave up six runs and eight hits in five innings of a 7-3 defeat to Florida
on Sunday.
''I'm not on top of my game, and when you aren't on top of your game, you're going to get hit,'' said Peavy, who threw 105
pitches in just five innings of work.
Peavy's seven losses this season already match his total from a year ago, when he finished 13-7 with a 2.88 ERA and 216 strikeouts.
His 4.96 ERA this season is the highest of his career, and he has more hits allowed than innings pitched for the first time
since his 2002 rookie season.
He has never faced the Angels.
The Padres (35-32) opened their six-game road trip Friday with a 5-4 win over the Angels in the teams' first meeting since
July 17, 2001.
Khalil Greene
snapped an 0-for-23 skid with a ninth-inning double and scored the eventual game-winning run on a throwing error by Angels
catcher
Mike Napoli
.
''He picked a good time to get a hit, no doubt about it,'' said Padres manager
Bruce Bochy
, whose team improved to 5-9 in its last 14 road games after a 12-4 start away from Petco Park. ''He's a tough kid. We all
go through our ups and downs, and he was being tested. But if anybody can handle it, it's Greenie.''
While the Padres have struggled on the road of late, the Angels (30-37) haven't fared very well at Angel Stadium. They are
3-5 with two games remaining on their 10-game homestand.
Offensive woes have plagued the Angels, who have scored four runs or fewer in seven of the eight contests of their homestand
while batting .255 as a team - .235 with runners in scoring position.
Ervin Santana
(6-3, 4.29) takes the mound for Los Angeles Friday in search of his third straight victory.
Santana earned the win in a 4-3 victory over Kansas City on Monday. The right-hander carried a no-hit bid into the fifth but
was pulled two innings later after he gave up a two-run homer to
Matt Stairs
and an RBI single by
Angel Berroa
.
The victory improved Santana to 4-1 with a 3.13 ERA at home this season and 13-4 with a 3.16 ERA in 21 career starts at Angel
Stadium.
He's just 5-7 with a 6.78 ERA in 15 road starts.
Following the game Friday, Angels rookie
Jered Weaver
was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake and replaced on the active roster with reigning AL Cy Young Award winner
Bartolo Colon
.
Weaver went 4-0 with a 1.37 ERA in four starts.
''I am very happy of how I pitched here,'' Weaver said. ''It's been a dream come true. Last year's
Cy Young
is coming back so I am just going to go back down and work harder.''
Colon, who has been out since April 15 with shoulder inflammation, is slated to start Sunday.
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