James Shields (10-6, 3.83 ERA) and Chris Rusin (5-7, 4.78 ERA) are on the hill in the third of a four-game series between the San Diego Padres (66-73) and the Colorado Rockies (57-81) at Petco Park. The Padres won the last game 2-1 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 9:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Sep. 9 and can be seen on RTRM and FSSD.
Shields pitched 5.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering three runs, striking out four and walking six in an 8-4 defeat to the Dodgers. Justin Upton (.255, 76 Rs, 24 HRs, 73 RBIs, 19 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday. Rusin went 9.0 innings, surrendering three runs, striking out five and walking one in an 11-3 win over the Giants in his most recent start. Nolan Arenado (.286, 84 Rs, 37 HRs, 107 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
San Diego is a -159 favorite against Colorado and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at seven runs. The Padres have an overall money line of -1,093 and a record as the favorite of 34-30. San Diego is a disappointing 2-5 as the favorite over its last 10 games. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Padres, who lead the NL in strikeouts per home game with 9.2.
Over in the other dugout, Colorado is coming in with an overall money line of -1,453 and a disappointing record of 40-60 as the underdog. They have played poorly as the underdog with a 17-26 record against teams in their division, and a 6-4 record SU. Offensively, they average 4.5 runs per game, which is tops in the NL.
The Padres have controlled the season series, 10-4. The Padres have a 15-16 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Rusin takes the mound. Shields (RHP) will be on the hill against the Rockies, who have a 52-57 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – SD, O/U – Over
Notes
In their last game, the Rockies lost by a margin of one run. The Padres are 19-18 in one-run games. The Rockies have a 17-21 record in close games.
The Padres are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded six strikeouts. The Rockies have a record of 23-32 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Rockies are 9-58. The Padres have a 9-52 record when opponents outhit them.
San Diego ranks in the bottom half of the league at 18th when it comes to home runs, hitting 128 this season. Colorado ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 162.
Ranking 14th, San Diego is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.31 per game. Colorado ranks in the top five at second with 9.24.
Ranking 28th, San Diego is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.690). Colorado ranks in the top five at second with an OPS of .759.
When the Rockies allow at least one home run, they are 29-62. When the Padres allow one or more homers, they have a 35-52 record.
