Arizona @ San Francisco preview
Oracle Park
Last Meeting ( Aug 28, 2010 ) Arizona 11, San Francisco 3
The San Diego Padres are faltering with a three-game losing streak but the San Francisco Giants haven’t been able to take advantage.
That’s because the Giants also have lost three consecutive games as they look to salvage the finale of a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.
The last-place Diamondbacks won 6-0 on Friday and scored six runs in the first inning during Saturday’s 11-3 trouncing of the Giants.
The three-game skid keeps San Francisco six games behind San Diego in the National League West. The missed opportunity to gain ground on the Padres further diminishes the Giants’ chances of catching San Diego, which has the best record in the National League.
Of course, losing back-to-back games to lowly Arizona also hurts San Francisco’s wild-card chances. The Giants trail Philadelphia by 1 1/2 games after the Phillies beat the Padres the past two days.
Arizona looks to extend its winning streak to four games today when it sends Rodrigo Lopez to the mound.
The Diamondbacks have won four consecutive games only once this season - from May 19-22. Coincidentally, the first two victories of that modest winning streak occurred against San Francisco.
Lopez is 5-12 with a 5.09 earned-run average and hasn’t won since beating Florida on July 8. He is 0-5 in his last eight starts and has pitched five innings or less in each of his last four outings.
Lopez has a 6.75 ERA in two starts against San Francisco this season and the same high ERA in four career starts against San Francisco. He has an 0-2 career mark, including a loss on July 22 when he gave up three runs in seven innings.
San Francisco’s Aubrey Huff, a .302 career hitter in 43 at-bats against Lopez, has tormented Arizona both this season and in his career.
Huff went 0-for-3 on Saturday to drop his season average to .429 against Arizona. Huff’s career average against the Diamondbacks is .406 (41-for-101).
Shortstop Juan Uribe is batting .438 (7-for-16) with two homers against Lopez.
Matt Cain (10-10, 3.07 ERA) will look to slow down the Diamondbacks. Cain has thrown 17 scoreless innings against Arizona this season.
He tossed a one-hit shutout in May and held Arizona to three hits over eight innings in July.
Arizona catcher Miguel Montero had the key first-inning hit Saturday with a three-run double and third baseman Mark Reynolds blasted a three-run homer in the fourth.
Reynolds now has 29 homers, the second-highest total of his career. He hit a career-best 44 last season.
San Francisco rookie sensation Buster Posey was held out of Saturday’s contest with a forearm strain. Posey, batting .329, could be back in the lineup today.
He is hitting .583 (14-for-24) against Arizona this season.