Now just three games under .500, the Padres will go for their third sweep of the season today as they close out the home series against the Marlins. Jason Marquis will be tasked with continuing the solid stretch of successful starting pitching that allowed just one run through the first two games of this series. Marquis is coming off two consecutive wins and a solid start to his 2013 season. The righty has kept opposing teams to three runs or fewer in five of his six starts, including his most recent, a six-inning three-run effort against the Diamondbacks last Friday. He'll be looking to improve on a career 6-6 record against Miami.
Ricky Nolasco will be looking for a little more support from his offense as he makes his eighth start of the season. Nolasco had his own two-game winning streak going when he took the mound in his last start. But he allowed three home runs (four runs total) on eight hits in six innings. The Marlins have lost five of Nolasco's seven previous starts, but it hasn't been entirely his fault. Hitters have only given him 15 total runs of support over his 41 1/3 innings of work this season. He'll try to get back on the right foot at Petco Park, where he's seen some success in the past. He's 4-0 with a 1.82 in his last four starts in San Diego, each of which saw him pitching into the seventh inning.
Nolasco might have some trouble keeping the red-hot Padres off the board, however. Winners of 10 of their last 13 games, the Padres have been seeing production from every spot in the lineup. Chase Headley continued his hitting streak last night and looks to extend it to 13 games today. Against Nolasco, Headley is a career 4-for-12 with a double and a homer. Will Venable has only gone 3-for-13 against him, but two of those hits were home runs. Yonder Alonso has also hit well against him, batting 3-for-5 all-time with a homer. But it's Mark Kotsay who has had the most success all-time against the right-hander Nolasco, hitting 8-for-13 with a double, triple, and home run.