Red-hot Rockies attempt to draw even with sliding Padres

Baseball Betting Lines

07/11/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies appear to be putting together one of those long winning stretches they've become known for during the past few seasons, much to the chagrin of the rest of the National League West.

The resurgent Rockies will try to extend their season-best win streak to seven consecutive games and forge a first-place tie with the San Diego Padres in the division standings when the two NL West foes conclude a three-game series from Coors Field this afternoon.

Colorado has gained ground on the Padres in the division chase by going 8-1 thus far on its current 10-game homestand, and is on its longest tear since ripping off eight straight wins from September 4-11 of last season to help secure the NL's Wild Card. The Rockies have also gone 15-3 at Coors Field since June 11 and now boast an outstanding 31-15 record as the host this year.

The Rockies maintained their winning ways and closed within a game of the slumping Padres with Saturday's 4-2 triumph behind 6 1/3 solid innings from starting pitcher Jason Hammel and a trio of home runs.

Brad Eldred had a two-run homer and both Carlos Gonzalez and Melvin Mora added solo shots for Colorado, with Eldred and Mora each finishing 2-for-4 at the plate.

Eldred's homer was his first in the majors since 2007, and the big first baseman has gone 5-for-9 in three games since being called up from the minors to fill the roster spot of the injured Todd Helton.

"It feels great to be up here and contribute," said Eldred. "To see how hard these guys work and be in a pennant chase really means a lot to me and hopefully I can continue to be a part of it."

Gonzalez, meanwhile, has now went deep in seven of his last 12 contests and is batting .469 (15-for-32) with four homers and 10 RBI over the course of a seven-game hitting streak.

Saturday's power surge provided more than enough support for Hammel (7-3), who held the Padres to two runs on five hits to post his sixth straight winning decision.

Wade LeBlanc (4-7) wasn't able to match his counterpart, as the San Diego lefty served up all three homers and was touched for four runs on nine hits before exiting after 5 2/3 innings.

The loss was the fourth in five games for the Padres, who have now dropped eight of 11 meetings with Colorado thus far in 2010. San Diego is 1-4 at Coors Field this season.

"We still have a long way to go here," said LeBlanc after the game. "We're not even at the All-Star break, we have three months to go here and we'll get back on track."

While the Rockies have been rolling as of late, Jeff Francis has had trouble getting himself untracked in recent starts. The one-time 17-game winner takes the ball this afternoon off back-to-back rough showings in which he's been battered for 13 runs and 13 hits in only seven innings of work. One of those outings came against the Padres in San Diego, where Francis was rocked for eight runs in three innings of a 13-3 Colorado setback on June 30.

The oft-injured left-hander was ineffective as well this past Tuesday against St. Louis, surrendering five runs on six hits before exiting after four innings. He was spared a potential loss, however, when the Rockies scored nine times in the ninth inning to rally for a thrilling 12-9 victory.

Since yielding only one run in a 13 1/3-inning span over his first two assignments of 2010, Francis has gone 1-3 with a subpar 6.45 earned run average in eight starts and allowed five runs or more five times during that span. The native Canadian has also historically struggled when facing the Padres, as his 5-11 record and 5.66 ERA in 19 career appearances will attest.

San Diego's Clayton Richard will also be trying to atone for a disappointing last start, in addition to getting his team back in the win column, when he toes the rubber today for the visitors. The young southpaw was reached for five runs on nine hits and issued four walks over six shaky innings Tuesday at Washington, registering a no-decision in an eventual 6-5 Padres' loss.

Richard was outstanding his previous time out, which came in a matchup with Francis and the Rockies on June 30. He established a career best with 10 strikeouts and limited Colorado to two runs and five hits over seven sharp innings to notch his sixth win of the campaign.

The 26-year-old was handed a loss at Coors Field on April 9 after permitting three runs in seven innings, but has compiled a solid 3-1 record with a 2.98 ERA in seven road starts so far this season. For his career, Richard is 1-1 with a 3.90 ERA in five lifetime encounters with the Rockies.