San Diego @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 5, 2011 ) San Diego 5, San Francisco 3

THE STORY: The San Diego Padres just keep winning games in San Francisco. The Padres go after their third straight win and 13th in their last 16 visits to picturesque AT&T Park when the two teams meet Wednesday. San Diego beat the Giants by identical 5-3 scores the first two games of this series. Overall, the fourth-place Padres are 10-3 over their last 13 games. San Francisco has lost three straight games and has seen its National League West lead drop to one game over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, Channel 4 (San Diego), CSBA (San Francisco).

PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Dustin Moseley (2-8, 3.07) vs. Giants LH Madison Bumgarner (4-9, 3.65)

Moseley has lost two straight decisions and hasn’t won since June 3. He allowed five runs – two earned – and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings while losing to Seattle last Friday. Since pitching six innings or more in each of his first six starts, Moseley has failed to reach six innings in seven of his last 10 outings. This is his first career appearance against San Francisco.

Bumgarner has been terrific in his last two outings since being hammered for eight runs and nine hits in just one-third of an inning against Minnesota on June 21. Bumgarner gave up just two runs and 11 hits in 14 1/3 innings against Cleveland (a victory June 26) and Detroit (a no-decision last Friday). He struck out 20 and walked just two. Bumgarner is 0-2 in five career appearances (four starts) against the Padres and lasted just three innings in an April start against San Diego, giving up three runs and five hits.

ABOUT THE GIANTS (48-39): Third baseman Pablo Sandoval extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a third-inning single but his streak of having an extra-base hit in nine straight games ended. Sandoval tied the San Francisco franchise record shared by Orlando Cepeda (1961) and Willie Mays (1963). Sandoval is batting .319 during his hitting streak. With Emmanuel Burriss (knee) ailing after being hit by a pitch Monday, veteran Miguel Tejada made his first career start at second base in Tuesday’s game. Outfielder Cody Ross (hamstring) didn’t play but should return later this week. Andres Torres struck out against Heath Bell in the ninth, and is 0-for-9 with six strikeouts against Bell.

ABOUT THE PADRES (40-47): San Diego is 21-20 on the road after winning the first two games of this series. That is much better than the Padres’ 19-27 home mark. Cameron Maybin went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, including the go-ahead two-run triple. Anthony Rizzo had two RBIs after having just four in his first 23 major-league games. Chase Headley has at least one hit in 12 of the last 13 games and is batting .431 over his last 18 games. Reliever Luke Gregerson (oblique) was activated prior to Tuesday’s game and starter Clayton Richard was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Richard left Monday’s game after five innings due to shoulder stiffness.

FINAL PITCH: The Padres are 33-0 when leading after eight innings. Bell is 26-for-27 in save opportunities with the one blown save coming when Headley made a two-run throwing error with two out in the ninth against Arizona on May 6. The Padres won that game in 11 innings.