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Padres-Cardinals Preview

Sep 17, 2010 - 5:17 AM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

San Diego (82-63) at St. Louis (74-70), 8:15 p.m. EDT

After looking like a playoff-bound team for much of the year, things may start to be unraveling for the San Diego Padres. They're looking up in the standings for the first time in three months and their top pitcher is coming off his worst performance since the fourth week of the season.

Mat Latos tries to put his first subpar outing since April behind him and help the second-place Padres recover Friday night against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

With a 4-0 loss to St. Louis in Thursday's series opener, coupled with San Francisco's 10-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego (82-64) dropped one-half game behind the Giants for the NL West lead. It's the first time the Padres, who had a 6 1/2-game lead Aug. 25, have been out of the top spot since June 16.

Pitching has been San Diego's strength all season - the club leads the majors with a 3.38 ERA - but the staff has a 5.65 ERA in its last five games, a stretch that began with a sluggish performance from Latos (14-6, 2.43 ERA).

Latos got knocked around for five runs and seven hits in four innings of Sunday's 6-1 loss to San Francisco, ending his big league-record streak of 15 straight starts of five or more innings with two or fewer runs allowed. It was the first time the right-hander had given up more than two runs since June 4, when he allowed three in a 3-2 loss at Philadelphia.

"You're bound to have a bad one and it makes you appreciate the little things more," said Latos, whose .197 opponent batting average leads the majors.

Sunday's performance was also Latos' worst since April 26, when he allowed a career high-tying seven runs in a 10-1 loss at Florida. The first time he gave up seven runs came in his only career outing against the Cardinals (75-70), a 9-2 loss in St. Louis on Aug. 14, 2009.

The Padres have lost 10 straight at Busch since a 4-0 win Aug. 7, 2007.

Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego's leader with 29 homers, 95 RBI, 30 doubles and a .395 on-base percentage, was hitless Thursday, falling to 1 for 16 with six strikeouts against the Cardinals this season.

The three-time All-Star first baseman hopes to get things turned around against scheduled St. Louis starter Kyle Lohse (3-7, 6.85), against whom he's 7 for 18 with a homer and three doubles.

Lohse worked out of some trouble in Sunday's 7-3 win in Atlanta, allowing 10 baserunners - nine hits and one walk - in 5 1-3 innings, but giving up just two runs to earn the victory. The right-hander has yielded 39 hits over 23 2-3 innings in five starts since coming off the 60-day disabled list because of a right forearm strain.

Lohse has been hit-or-miss since returning to the rotation, posting a 3.38 ERA in his two victories but a 13.15 ERA in his three losses.

This will be Lohse's first start of the season against the Padres. He went 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA in two outings against them in 2009.

The Cardinals' snapped a three-game skid Thursday, but are still seven games behind NL Central-leading Cincinnati with 17 to play.