Colorado @ San Diego preview
Petco Park
Last Meeting ( Jun 29, 2010 ) Colorado 6, San Diego 3
If David Eckstein was coming out of the University of Florida today, chances are he’d probably be taken a lot later than the 19th round - as he was in the 1997 - or not drafted at all.
Middle infielders who stand 5-foot-7 and are slight of arm just do not get much of an opportunity these days.
Ten seasons and 1,265 games later, Eckstein, in his second season with the San Diego Padres, is still earning a major league paycheck and is once again playing for a squad that is playing for a division title.
Eckstein may have moved over to second base from his natural position of shortstop, where he has played 965 games, but he is still the same old pest.
His throws beat runners by a step, he makes the opposition’s pitchers work, he rarely strikes out (12 times in 285 at-bats) and always seems to be involved in late-inning rallies.
Overall, his numbers (.281, 1 home run, 20 RBIs) are pedestrian, but the Padres are in first place in the National League West and Eckstein’s winning ways and leadership in a young clubhouse are invaluable.
Despite Eckstein going 4-for-8, the Padres have lost the first two games at Petco Park against the Colorado Rockies and will look to salvage the third game of the series on Wednesday.
Taking the mound for San Diego is Clayton Richard, who threw six shutout innings last time out and has five quality starts in his last seven outings.
Richard (5-4, 2.75) will attempt to win back-to-back games for the first time since winning three in a row in early May. His last outing was the ninth time he allowed two runs or less.
He is 0-1 in two starts vs. Colorado this season, having allowed six earned runs and 13 hits in 12 innings (4.50 ERA).
The Rockies will counter with left-hander Jeff Francis, who is pitching well after having his season delayed while recuperating from shoulder surgery.
Francis is 2-2 with a 3.53 ERA and has a very good strikeout-to-walk ratio (27 Ks to 9 walks). His return, while later than expected, has been impressive considering he missed all of the 2009 season.
If Francis manages to produce another solid start, it bodes well for the Rockies, who have come to life against the Padres, moving into third place in the NL West and closing within four games of first place.
Outfielder Carlos Gonzalez has homered in both games of the series while Clint Barmes and Miguel Olivo have also brought their home run stroke into the series, connecting on long balls to help seal wins in the first two games.