San Diego @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 23, 2012 ) San Diego 1, San Francisco 7

Buster Posey is on a roll and strives to continue pounding out hits as the San Francisco Giants host the San Diego Padres in Tuesday’s second contest of a three-game set. Posey went 3-for-4 with an opposite-field homer and had four RBIs in Monday’s series opener and is 18-for-33 with 15 RBIs over his last eight games. Posey has three or more hits in five of the contests. San Diego has won seven of its last 10 games.

Posey has never batted against San Diego’s Edinson Volquez, who pitched a one-hit shutout against the Houston Astros in his last outing. The Padres expect to have outfielder Carlos Quentin in the lineup Tuesday after he missed the opener with knee soreness. San Francisco leads the National League West by 1 1/2 games over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Outfielder Melky Cabrera has a 10-game hitting streak after going 3-for-4 in the opener. Cabrera is batting .415 during the stretch.

TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, Fox Sports San Diego, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (San Francisco)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Edinson Volquez (6-7, 3.34 ERA) vs. Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (11-6, 3.12)

Volquez had never pitched a shutout or complete game in 109 previous major-league starts before dominating the Astros. He has won three straight decisions and four of his last five. Volquez has limited opposing hitters to a .214 average but has issued 70 walks, most in the majors. He is 2-1 with a 6.63 ERA in four career starts against San Francisco.

Bumgarner has been sensational at home with a 7-1 mark and 1.81 ERA in eight starts. He has struck out 52 and walked just seven at AT&T Park. Bumgarner lost to the Atlanta Braves in his last outing despite allowing just two earned runs and three hits in seven innings. He is 2-0 with a 3.29 ERA in two starts against the Padres this season and has a 3-2 record and 3.24 ERA in 10 career appearances (nine starts) against San Diego.

WALK-OFFS

1. San Diego’s Alexi Amarista left Monday’s game with a jammed thumb suffered when he stole second base.

2. San Francisco 1B Brandon Belt is mired in a 3-for-41 slump and didn’t start the series opener.

3. Padres OF Chris Denorfia is 10-for-24 with five doubles against Bumgarner.