04/27 Padres Preview: Game 23 vs. Giants

After taking the series opener, the Padres look to keep the wins coming and secure just their second series win of the year tonight. We'll see a rematch of the Sunday's series finale in San Francisco. Eric Stults will take the mound for the Padres opposite Giants starter Barry Zito. Stults tossed seven innings (a season high) in that last outing, giving up five runs (also a season high) on eight hits. He notched a couple of strikeouts and didn't issue any walks.

Zito also pitched seven innings in that game, but kept the Padres scoreless and held them to just five hits and a walk while striking out four. That was his first win in his last 12 starts against San Diego. He is 7-15 against the Padres all-time and 0-3 in his last six appearances at Petco Park. This will be just his second start on the road this season, with his first coming in Milwaukee. He only lasted 2 2/3 innings while being tagged for nine runs.

The Padres offense is still struggling, but has improved since the last series against San Francisco where they scored just two runs over the three games. Since that series, they've scored a combined eight runs over four games, but have gone 2-2 over that period. Kyle Blanks is expected to return to the lineup tonight for the first time since that final game at AT&T Park where a collision with the outfield wall caused him to get stitches in his left eyelid. Hopefully his return will give the offense more of a boost.

The Giants have now dropped three straight games. A four-game streak would be their longest since a five-game skid last July. It would also be their longest road losing streak since May of 2010. The Padres are hoping to match their season-high three-game win streak with a win tonight.