MLB Game Preview - San Francisco at San Diego

Sun Apr 9, 2017 4:40 PM EDT

SAN DIEGO -- One team will be going for a sweep Sunday at Petco Park.

But it's not the team you might have expected.

After coming from behind to win their home opener 7-6 against the Giants on Friday afternoon, the Padres scratched out a 2-1 win over Madison Bumgarner Saturday night.

Going into Sunday, the Padres are 3-3 and looking to sweep the Giants, who are off to a 1-5 start.

The Giants will try to salvage the finale of the three-game series Sunday afternoon with their only pitcher to have won a game this season, right-hander Johnny Cueto. The Padres will counter with left-hander Clayton Richard, who shut out the Dodgers for eight innings last Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.

Cueto's first win wasn't pretty. He gave up four runs on six hits, including two homers over six innings in the Giants' 8-4 win at Arizona last Tuesday.

In fact, most of the talk after his non-descript first start was on Cueto's offense. He pulled back a bunt then chopped a single. After that he scored from first on a double. "That might be one of his top offensive games," said manager Bruce Bochy, whose Giants have lost four straight.

Meanwhile, Richard continued his mastery of the Dodgers while becoming the first Padres pitcher to throw eight or more innings of shutout ball since the 2014 season. The last time a Padres left-hander threw eight scoreless innings was Richard against the Dodgers in 2011.

"If Clayton keeps the ball low in the zone like he did last Tuesday, he's going to be effective," said Padres manager Andy Green.

All five hits against Richard last Tuesday were singles and he got 16 outs on 12 grounders -- the Padres turning four double plays.

But Cueto was 3-1 with a 1.41 earned run average in four starts against the Padres last season. He threw complete games in his first three 2016 outings against the Padres -- becoming the first Giant to throw three complete games against a single opponent since Atlee Hammaker against the Cubs in 1983.

But hitting is a bigger problem for the Giants, who have only 13 hits in the first two games against the Padres and came within an out of being shut out Saturday night.

San Francisco's left fielders are 0-for-23 on the season. Although they are hitting a respectable .254 as a team through six games, San Francisco's hitters also have struck out 52 times.

The left-field drought is one reason why the Giants will soon add Melvin Upton Jr., although he is expected to play himself back into shape at Triple-A before joining the major league club. Upton was waived by Toronto just before the start of the season. He played 1 1/2 seasons with the Padres before being traded to the Blue Jays.

The entire Giants outfield is struggling.

Center fielder Denard Span returned to the starting lineup Saturday night after missing three straight starts with a sore left hip. But he is off to a .222 start. And right fielder Hunter Pence is hitting .261 with seven strikeouts in 23 at-bats.