Chicago @ San Diego preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 7, 2012 ) Chi. Cubs 4, San Diego 7

The Chicago Cubs had no expectations for this season and gave their fans no reason to hope for the future until recently, when the club sent several veterans away and started promoting prospects. The Cubs may have lost for the seventh straight time on Tuesday, but at least rookie Josh Vitters recorded his first major league hit and a pair of RBIs. The rest of the season will be a series of small victories for the San Diego Padres as well.

Winners of three straight, the Padres have gotten an immediate return on their investment from Carlos Quentin, who was signed to a three-year contract extension last month instead of being sent away at the trade deadline. Quentin has homered in two of the last three contests and put Tuesday’s game out of reach with a three-run blast. Quentin and San Diego will aim for the three-game sweep of the Cubs on Wednesday. Chicago has added Vitters and Brett Jackson to Anthony Rizzo in what they hope will form a core of the future offense. After going 2-for-4 in his debut on Sunday, Jackson has gone 0-for-7 with seven strikeouts in two games against the Padres.

TV: 6:35 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), FSSD (San Diego)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Jeff Samardzija (7-9, 4.37 ERA) vs. Padres LH Clayton Richard (8-11, 4.01)

Samardzija had a string of five straight strong starts come to an end last Friday, when he was reached for five runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings to lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The right-hander has overall been a positive for the team this season, with 124 strikeouts in 125 1/3 innings. He struck out eight in seven innings against San Diego on May 29, allowing three runs on eight hits in a win.

Richard is coming off one of his better starts of the season - a seven-inning effort against the Mets in which he allowed only one run and scattered eight hits to pick up a win. The 28-year-old has issued a total of six walks in his last eight starts. Richard has only faced Chicago once in his career, earning a win while allowing one run on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Cubs LF Alfonso Soriano (hand) is day-to-day after injuring himself in a slide on Monday. He sat out on Tuesday.

2. Details of the Padres sale are starting to emerge. The club is reportedly being sold for around $800 million.

3. Chicago RHP Matt Garza (triceps) will likely miss the remainder of the season after being placed on the disabled list Tuesday.