MLB Game Preview - Colorado at San Diego

Sat Aug 10, 2019 8:40 PM EDT

San Diego manager Andy Green made it clear Friday afternoon that the Padres weren't looking for a split of their four-game series against the visiting Colorado Rockies this weekend.

Three wins might not be enough.

"We need to string some wins together," Green said. "We've failed to generate momentum. We've gotten runners on base and failed to drive them in. We'll rise up and win a lot of games in a row."

Well, they have two wins in a row.

The Padres defeated the Rockies for a second straight night Friday, marking the first time since the All-Star break that San Diego won back-to-back games. The Padres hadn't captured consecutive games since taking three straight against the Los Angeles Dodgers from July 5-7.

Despite the mini resurgence, the Padres are just 9-16 since the All-Star break, and they are still only 27-30 at home.

However, San Diego sees some hope for momentum with two games left against the Rockies. And the timing couldn't be better, since starting Monday, the Padres will play seven straight series against teams contending for playoff berths.

The Padres will send rookie right-hander Chris Paddack (7-5, 3.19 ERA) to the mound on Saturday against Rockies right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez (0-4, 5.95).

Paddack, a 23-year-old who missed all of the 2017 season after having Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2016, will be making his 20th start for the Padres this year. However, he will be making his first appearance ever against the division-rival Rockies.

Paddack is 3-1 with a 3.26 ERA in seven starts since a scheduled, mid-June detour to the minor leagues to limit his innings. He is coming off the roughest start since his return, when he gave up six runs on six hits and a walk in four-plus innings last Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

Before that, Paddack had not allowed more than three runs since his return, producing four starts in which he yielded one run or none.

"Chris has done a nice job of learning from his poorer performances," Green said. "He bounced back in late June. We expect him to come out strong again Saturday against the Rockies."

In 104 1/3 innings, Paddack has a 0.930 WHIP and a .191 opponents' batting average.

Meanwhile, opposing hitters have batted .289 against Gonzalez in five appearances (four starts). He has given up 22 hits and 12 walks in 19 2/3 innings for a 1.729 WHIP.

Gonzalez has never faced the Padres in 22 major league games, 17 starts. He is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA in three road appearances this year. Gonzalez last pitched in relief at Houston on Tuesday, allowing a hit, a walk and two runs without recording an out in Colorado's 11-6 loss.

Like Paddack, Gonzalez is a graduate of Tommy John surgery, which cost him all of the 2017 season. He will hope to help the Rockies end a four-game losing streak. Colorado is 8-19 since the All-Star break.

"Everybody's frustrated," Colorado first baseman Daniel Murphy said, according to MLB.com. "If we pitch, then we don't hit. If we hit, then we struggle to pitch. We've had a tough time getting on the same page with everything. But nobody's going to feel sorry for you in this league, so we've got to keep going."

--Field Level Media