GAME:
San Diego Padres (69-78) at Colorado Rockies (61-85)
DATE/TIME:
Saturday, September 19 - 8:10 PM EST
WHERE:
Coors Field, Denver, Colorado
LINE:
N/A
TOTAL:
N/A
Colorado third baseman Nolan Arenado is finishing a standout season with
a red-hot bat and looks to add to his National League-leading RBI total
when the Rockies host the San Diego Padres on Saturday. Arenado, who
has 112 RBIs and ranks second in the NL with 39 homers, went 3-for-4
with one RBI as Colorado notched a 7-4 victory in the opener of the
three-game set.
Arenado is batting .365 with nine homers and 17 RBIs in September and is one RBI away from matching the total of his first two major-league seasons combined. Right fielder Carlos Gonzalez went 0-for-4 in his return from a foot injury and is hitless in 12 at-bats over his last three games and 3-for-27 in his past seven. Colorado is 8-28 against left-handers and San Diego is starting Robbie Erlin on Saturday - the first time all season the Padres have started a left-hander. Padres left fielder Justin Upton returned from an illness and went 1-for-4 on Friday and is 5-for-16 with six runs scores in his past four games.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, FSN San Diego, ROOT (Colorado)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres LH Robbie Erlin (NR) vs. Rockies LH Yohan Flande (3-3, 4.95)
Erlin is making his first big-league start of the season after going 7-6 with a 5.60 ERA at Triple-A El Paso. He went 7-8 with a 4.58 ERA in 24 appearances (20 starts) for the Padres over the two previous seasons. Erlin is 1-1 with a 6.89 ERA in four career appearances (three starts) against Colorado.
Flande has lost his past two starts while giving up 10 runs and 14 hits in eight innings. He has served up 12 homers in 35 2/3 innings over his past seven outings. Flande is 0-2 with a 5.51 ERA in four career appearances (three starts) against San Diego, including a no-decision on Aug. 14 when he gave up four runs and eight hits in six innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Rockies 1B Justin Morneau has three multi-hit outings in his past four contests.
2. San Diego RF Matt Kemp is three RBIs away from reaching 100 but is 2-for-23 over the past six games.
3. Colorado 2B DJ LeMahieu is 3-for-23 over his last six games but has gone 4-for-7 against Erlin.
PREDICTION: Padres 8, Rockies 7
