[John]

MLB 04.05

San Diego Padres (Leblanc) ML @ 1.725 (O)
4u

San Diego 2010: 16W-10L, Hemma: 10W-4L
Colorado 2010: 13W-13L, Borta: 7W-7L

San Diego runs 2010: snittar 4.5 runs per match
Colorado runs 2010: snittar 5.0 runs per match

Leblanc 2010: 0.52 ERA, 17.1 innings, 18 hits, 1 earned run, 16 strikeouts
Smith 2010: 7.33 ERA, 23.1 innings, 27 hits, 19 earned runs, 19 strikeouts

Med betydligt bättre pitcher och grym hemmastatistik tror vi att San Diego löser detta.

Preview

Spoiler:

It didn't take long for Wade LeBlanc to realize he needed a change of pace on the mound in the big leagues.
The solution: more fastballs.

"When he came up, he wasn't quite ready," Padres manager Bud Black said. "I don't think he understood a starting pitcher has to throw fastballs in the strike zone."

Call LeBlanc a quick study. Primarily using his fastball, he threw 6 1/3 shutout innings and also had three hits in the Padres' 9-0 victory over the Brewers on Thursday. On Tuesday, the San Diego starter will take the mound against Colorado's Greg Smith in the second of three games at PETCO Park.

LeBlanc was promoted from Triple-A Portland on April 18 after pitcher Chris Young was placed on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder. The left-hander allowed a few hard-hit balls on Thursday, but he avoided any collateral damage in the later innings on his way to his third solid start since being recalled. He allowed eight hits with no walks and six strikeouts in the victory while lowering his ERA to 0.52.

LeBlanc's secret is really no secret at all.

"It starts with good use of the fastball," Black said. "We're seeing early-count strikes and keeping them off-balance."

By contrast, Smith is still seeking the recipe for success. The Rockies need him to find it soon.

Smith has given up 10 runs on 12 hits in his last 10 innings. He's also allowed six home runs over his five starts and walked 15. He pitched well in a victory over the New York Mets on April 13, but he hasn't been the same since.

He's been told that he has "battled" in games but is not exactly sure how to feel about the term.

But is "battling" a good thing?

"It feels like you don't have your best stuff," he said. "It's a compliment, and I take it as a compliment when somebody says, 'Hey, you battled.' It means you did keep your team in the game. You competed. But the word 'battle' to me makes you feel like, 'You [stunk] today, but we almost did it.'"

Smith will be making his first career appearance against the Padres.

"My approach needs to be to throw a quality strike. It's the fine-tuning of the strikes and not falling behind to begin with," he said. "It's important for us, as a staff, to go deep in games, especially lately, and I take full responsibility for that."

Padres: LeBlanc blanks opponents
LeBlanc has not given up a run in his last 16 1/3 innings. The Padres have thrown shutouts in each of his last two starts.

"The starters have been doing an unreal job," Heath Bell said. "They're going out there and attacking hitters, pitching inside, pitching away, being aggressive and that's what we need to do to be successful."

Rockies: Home away from home?
With a record of 29-27, the Rockies are the only National League West team to have a winning record against the Padres at PETCO Park. ... Ubaldo Jimenez had his scoreless-innings streak snapped at 25 1/3 on Monday when Yorvit Torrealba doubled home Will Venable in the fourth inning. The streak is a club record for a starting pitcher.

Worth noting
The Padres can handle strong pitching. The offense has scored three runs against Jimenez in his 13 innings pitched against San Diego this season. All other opponents have combined to score one run in 28 1/3 innings against him.

Pitchers

Spoiler:

Rockies:

There's no easy way to sugarcoat Smith's last outing: it was terrible. The Rockies need him to get right since their starting rotation is currently struggling. Smith pitched well in a home victory over the New York Mets on April 13, but hasn't been the same since. He's given up 10 runs on 12 hits in his last 10 innings. He's already allowed six home runs over his five starts and walked 15. He'll be making his first career appearance against the San Diego Padres.

Padres:

LeBlanc tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings and had three hits in the Padres' 9-0 victory over the Brewers on Thursday. LeBlanc, promoted from Triple-A Portland on April 18 after pitcher Chris Young was placed on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder, had his third consecutive strong start since his being recalled. Balancing his plus-changeup with good fastball command, the left-hander allowed a few hard-hit balls early in the game but avoided any collateral damage. He allowed eight hits with no walks and six strikeouts while lowering his ERA to 0.52. "It starts with good use of the fastball," Padres manager Bud Black said. "We're seeing early-count strikes and keeping them off-balance."

San Diego Padres -1.5 @ 2.720 (IO)
2u

---

LIGA BBVA

Villarreal DnB @ 1.645 (IO)
4u