News
Gonzalez getting his swagger back
San Diego (49-67) at St. Louis (64-52), 5:15 p.m. PT
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
08/13/09 6:34 PM ET
MILWAUKEE -- Could San Diego All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez be rediscovering his groove at the plate after a mid-summer funk? Through Wednesday, Gonzalez is hitting .317 since the All-Star break and .406 in the month of August after a June (.235) and July (.198) swoon. Gonzalez had a career-best six hits in a victory over the Brewers on Tuesday, setting a new club mark for most hits in a nine-inning game. He's still taking his walks (a Major League-leading 89 free passes this season). "His at-bats were fine; he just wasn't getting his hits," Padres manager Bud Black. "He might have been hitting into a little tough luck as well. "But there's been a little resurgence in the lineup. The guys around him are in the [opposing] pitchers' mind." The improved at-bats from Chase Headley, Will Venable, Kyle Blanks and Kevin Kouzmanoff have allowed Gonzalez some protection in the lineup. "I've been trying to stay closed [with my front shoulder], especially against lefties," Gonzalez said. Gonzalez hit 20 home runs over the first two months of the season, but has just 10 since. With his two-run homer in Thursday's 12-9 loss to the Brewers, Gonzalez became the first player in franchise history to hit 30 or more home runs in three seasons. Now he's heading to St. Louis on Friday for the start of a three-game series against the Cardinals. He's a career .351 hitter at Busch Stadium. Pitching matchupSD: RHP Mat Latos (4-1, 2.43 ERA)
Chalk up another successful start for Latos, who tamed the Mets on Aug. 8, allowing one run over six innings for his fourth consecutive victory. He struck out seven and walked three, but his command and pitch quality got better as the game wore on. He was able to use more than just his fastball, mixing in a nice breaking ball and changeup. Not bad for a 21-year-old who started the season with the Class A Fort Wayne TinCaps. Latos now has a 2.43 ERA in five starts. STL: RHP Adam Wainwright (13-7, 2.73 ERA)
In his last start, Wainwright won his sixth decision in a row on the road -- he hasn't lost away from Busch Stadium since May 31. The right-hander improved to 9-1 in 11 road starts when he beat Pittsburgh, 5-3, on Aug. 8. The Pirates' only run off the right-hander came on Delwyn Young's RBI single in the sixth, and Wainwright was pulled an inning later only because he had thrown 112 pitches, 83 for strikes. He struck out six and didn't walk a batter. Tidbits
Going into Thursday's game, the Padres had won 11 of their past 15 games, posting a 4-1 series record over that stretch dating back to June 28. In those 15 games, San Diego was hitting .302 while posting a 3.53 ERA, having limited their opponent to three or fewer runs on seven occasions and scoring more than three in nine of those games. ... In their first five games against the Brewers this season, the Padres were hitting .364 (67-for-184) and averaging 7.0 runs, 13.4 hits. The club was posting a .425 on-base percentage while slugging .549 against Milwaukee. ... The Padres will see three right-handed pitchers in St. Louis. ... Pitcher Wade LeBlanc of Triple-A Portland dropped to 2-9 with a loss Wednesday to Triple-A Round Rock. ... Reliever Mike Ekstrom was sent to Portland on Thursday when the Padres recalled their starter for that day, Cesar Carrillo. Tickets
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• Saturday: Padres (Tim Stauffer, 1-4, 2.90) at Cardinals (Joel Pineiro, 10-9, 3.22), 4:15 p.m. PT
• Sunday: Padres (Clayton Richard, 6-3, 4.57) at Cardinals (Kyle Lohse, 5-7, 4.34), 11:15 a.m. PT
• Monday: Padres (Kevin Correia, 8-9, 4.51) vs. Cubs (Ted Lilly, 9-7, 3.59), 7:05 p.m. PT
Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
