San Diego @ Colorado preview
Coors Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 20, 2011 ) San Diego 2, Colorado 1
THE STORY: The San Diego Padres look to continue their recent hot streak when the play the finale of a three-game series against the host Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. The Padres have won four of their last five, including two in a row against the slumping Rockies, who have dropped six consecutive games. Mat Latos struck out nine over 8 2/3 innings Tuesday in San Diego's 2-1 victory.
TV: 3:10 p.m. ET, ROOT Sports (Colorado)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Anthony Bass (1-0, 1.88 ERA) vs. Rockies RH Aaron Cook (3-9, 5.97).
Bass is making only his second major league start - and coincidentally, the first also came against the Rockies. The rookie made his big league debut at Colorado on June 13, allowing one run on five hits in a 3-1 victory. Bass hasn't been as overpowering as his low ERA suggests, walking 18 and striking out 21 in 38 1/3 innings, but he has continued to get out of trouble. He pitched one inning of perfect relief in his last outing against the Rockies on Sept. 3. Cook, arguably the worst starting pitcher in the National League this year, has seen his ERA rise by nearly a full run over his last six outings. He was pulled from the rotation after taking back-to-back losses, the latter against San Diego on Sept. 4. Cook's only game since was an ugly relief appearance Sept. 16 against San Francisco, when he allowed three runs in one inning. Cook is 14-6 with a 2.98 ERA against the Padres in his career.
ABOUT THE PADRES (67-88): San Diego has gotten solid work all year from its pitching staff, which ranks fourth in the major leagues in ERA. The group has been particularly sharp of late, allowing nine runs in the Padres' last five games and 15 in the last seven. The offense, meanwhile, has sputtered, ranking 28th in the major leagues with 571 runs scored.
ABOUT THE ROCKIES (70-84): Colorado has been plagued by late-season injuries - shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (hip) returned as a pinch-hitter Tuesday, but first baseman Todd Helton (back) and left fielder Carlos Gonzalez (wrist) remain out. The Rockies have survived those absences, scoring 21 runs during the six-game skid, but a pitching staff that has been shaky all year has surrendered 45 runs over that span.
FINAL PITCH: San Diego first baseman Kyle Blanks was pulled from Tuesday's game after straining his right quadriceps in the first inning.