Ian Kennedy (8-12, 3.88 ERA) and the San Diego Padres (65-72) go up against Kyle Kendrick (4-12, 6.29 ERA) and the Colorado Rockies (56-80) in the first of a four-game division series at Petco Park. The game starts at 4:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Sep. 7 and will air on RTRM and FSSD.
In his most recent outing, Kennedy pitched 7.0 innings, giving up two runs, striking out 12 and walking two in a 4-3 loss to the Rangers. Justin Upton (.254, 74 Rs, 24 HRs, 73 RBIs, 19 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one stolen base. The Rockies were unsuccessful to the Diamondbacks 5-3 the last time Kendrick pitched. He went 4.0 innings, allowing one run, striking out two and walking two. Carlos Gonzalez (.274, 76 Rs, 36 HRs, 86 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one RBI.
San Diego is a -153 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. The Padres are 34-28 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -817. They have an SU record of 27-26 against teams in their division and a 15-8 record when they were the favorite in those games. The Padres are a dangerous hitting team with 374 extra base hits, one of the highest totals in the MLB. Turning to the pitching staff, an area where the Padres are particularly strong at home is striking batters out, where they average 9.0 K’s per home game.
Switching gears, the Rockies come into this game with a weak win percentage of .398 when playing as the underdog (39-59) and an overall money line of -1,516. Against divisional opponents, they are 22-34 SU and have played poorly as the underdog with a 16-25 record. They sport the top-ranked offense in the NL, averaging 4.5 runs per game. Colorado’s pitching staff has allowed an average of 3.9 runs per game during the last 10 games, lower than their season average of 5.2.
The Padres had the upper hand against the Rockies in their previous 12 games this season, earning a 9-3 record. The Padres will take on a right-hander (Kendrick) in this game and have a 50-56 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Rockies will be the right-hander Kennedy. They sport a 51-57 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – SD, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, San Diego is 35-32, while Colorado is 26-35.
The Rockies are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded four strikeouts. The Padres have a record of 6-4 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rockies are 43-15. The Padres have a 49-14 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 18th in runs, San Diego has earned 560 this season. Colorado ranks fourth with 614 runs.
San Diego and Colorado both rank near the bottom of the league in walks. San Diego sits at 22nd with 349 this season and Colorado ranks 26th with 320.
When the Padres hit at least one home run, they are 45-28. When the Rockies hit at least one homer, they have a 47-46 record.
