Rockies at Padres
The Colorado Rockies are suffering through their longest losing streak in more than four years and will try to prevent it from reaching double digits when they begin a three-game series at the San Diego Padres on Friday. The Rockies' slide hit nine with Wednesday's 7-3 loss at the Los Angeles Dodgers, which was also the ninth straight time Colorado has allowed at least five runs.
The setback left the Rockies two more losses away from matching an 11-game plunge early in the 2015 season. "There's no finger-pointing. Just us as a group, we just aren't good," third baseman Nolan Arenado told reporters. The Padres are on a skid of their own after dropping three in a row at Arizona by a combined 20-9. Tim Melville, who pitched two games for San Diego in 2017, gets the start for Colorado on Friday opposite Dinelson Lamet.
TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain (Colorado), FS San Diego
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rockies RH Tim Melville (1-1, 3.86 ERA) vs. Padres RH Dinelson Lamet (2-3, 4.24)
Melville allowed one run and seven hits in 12 innings through his first two starts with the Rockies before things turned sour his last time out against Pittsburgh. The Pirates got to the 29-year-old for five runs in two innings of an 11-4 Rockies' loss at Coors Field on Saturday. Melville will be facing the Padres for the first time and making his second career appearance at Petco Park.
Lamet took the loss at San Francisco last Friday after giving up three runs (two earned) in five innings while striking out 10. He had 40 strikeouts in 28 innings in August, including seven in five solid frames against the Rockies on Aug. 11. Charlie Blackmon is 3-for-5 with a triple and a double in his career against Lamet, who is 0-1 with a 7.00 ERA in two prior starts versus Colorado.
WALK-OFFS
1. Arenado is 18-for-41 with five home runs during an 11-game hitting streak.
2. Padres LF Hunter Renfroe has a team-high 31 homers but none over his last 20 games.
3. San Diego is 13-9 in series openers at home.