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Padres try for first sweep in Arizona

Jul 4, 2012 - 1:55 PM (Sports Network) - Jason Marquis has thrown well enough since joining San Diego to have won a few games, but his club's bats haven't been able to lend a lot of help.

Marquis hopes for better synergy tonight between offense and pitching as the Padres go for their first ever three-game road sweep of the Diamondbacks.

The right-hander began the season with the Twins and went 2-4 with an 8.47 earned run average through seven starts before getting released. He signed a minor league contract with the Padres and made his first start with them on June 7, an 8-3 loss to the Giants.

In five total starts with San Diego, Marquis has posted a 3.06 ERA but just a 1-4 record. That is in part because the Padres have scored just eight runs in his outings and his only win came in a 1-0 defeat of the Mariners on June 13.

The 33-year-old didn't pitch well last time out, allowing six runs -- five earned -- on six hits over six innings at the Rockies on Sunday to take a 10-2 defeat.

"He pitched better than his line indicated," Padres manager Bud Black said. "They bunched some hits there when they got their runs ... The extra-base hits was sort of his undoing."

Marquis made three starts for the Diamondbacks last season after getting dealt to them by the Nationals, going 0-1 with a 9.53 ERA. Lifetime against Arizona he is 2-7 with a 4.20 ERA.

He'll look to pitch the Padres to a fifth straight win tonight and their first ever sweep in Arizona. Victories in the first two games of this set have San Diego in position for its first sweep of the Diamondbacks since July 16-18, 2010 at home.

The Diamondbacks had won four of six over the Padres entering this series and the clubs are concluding their first set in Arizona this season. San Diego has already secured its first series win at Chase Field since taking two of three from May 25-27, 2009.

The Padres did so with a 9-5 win last night. Chase Headley hit a three-run double and San Diego scored seven times off Arizona rookie starter Trevor Bauer.

Yonder Alonso picked up two hits, including a two-run home run for the Padres, who are on their longest winning streak of the season.

"We strung together some at-bats," Black said. "We made [Bauer] work today. He had a tremendous first inning, but after that I thought we started seeing the ball a little better. It looked as if his control was a little bit spotty, but that's not unexpected for a young guy making his first home start. But I thought overall we saw the ball better the second time through the lineup. You saw the results."

The 21-year-old Bauer, one of the Diamondbacks' top prospects and the third overall pick in the 2011 draft, allowed seven runs -- six earned -- on six hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings. He gave up two runs on five hits and three walks in four innings before leaving his MLB debut at Atlanta June 28 with a strained groin.

"He didn't make good pitches," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said of Bauer. "We know he has great stuff but we are going to try and refine some things so he can have more success the next time out."

Jason Kubel hit a grand slam and Paul Goldschmidt went 4-for-5 with an RBI for the Diamondbacks, who have lost four straight despite homering a single-season club record 14th straight game.

Ian Kennedy hopes the homers keep coming for the Diamondbacks tonight as he goes after a second straight victory. He won for the first time in for starts on Sunday, holding the Brewers to three runs -- one earned -- on six hits and a walk over seven frames of a 9-3 win. The righty also struck out seven.

Kennedy will try to even his season record tonight after going 21-4 in 33 starts last season. Through 16 outings in 2012, he is 6-7 with a 4.20 ERA.

The 27-year-old is perfect in his career when facing the Padres. He beat them in San Diego on April 12, allowing a run over six innings while fanning nine, and moved to 6-0 with a 1.95 ERA in eight career meetings.