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Padres' Moseley takes hill in opener vs. Braves

Apr 25, 2011 - 3:13 PM (Sports Network) - San Diego starter Dustin Moseley has been waiting for the Padres' offense to break out, but the unit has given no indication that will happen anytime soon.

Though among the league leaders in earned run average, Moseley hopes to capture his first victory of the season tonight when San Diego begins a three- game series versus the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park.

The Padres have scored just nine runs over a recent 1-6 span, with five of those runs coming in one game. They were outscored 12-3 over the weekend while getting swept in four games by the Phillies, finishing of the frustrating series with a 3-1 loss on Sunday.

San Diego didn't get to Philadelphia starter Roy Halladay until there were two outs in the ninth inning. Will Venable hit Halladay's 130th pitch into center to score a run after the Phils ace had already struck out a career high-tying 14, but reliever Antonio Bastardo got pinch-hitter Nick Hundley to fly out on one pitch to end the game.

"[Halladay] was on today," Padres manager Bud Black said. "We got to him, but it was a little too late."

One bright spot has been the play of Cameron Maybin, who has reached base in six straight games and is batting .333 (7-for-21) in that span with a homer, five runs scored and a pair of steals. Black also decided to move Maybin to the leadoff spot during the Philadelphia series.

Still, San Diego is last in the National League with a .212 average and 63 runs scored.

Moseley knows that all too well. He lost his first three starts of the season as San Diego failed to plate a run in each outing. The Padres finally scored for the first time in one of his starts on Wednesday in the Cubs, but it was just a single run in a 2-1 extra-inning defeat. Moseley got a no-decision despite allowing just one unearned run over six innings, falling to 0-3 even though he ranks second in the NL among qualified pitchers with a 1.40 ERA.

The 29-year-old righty, who has allowed just four earned runs over 25 2/3 innings, faces the Braves for the first time tonight.

Atlanta hopes that San Diego's offense continues to struggle tonight as it tries to extend its first three-game winning streak of the season. That run comes courtesy of a three-game sweep of the Giants, one that was finished off with Sunday's 9-6 victory in 10 innings.

Nate McLouth sparked the late scoring with a two-run single in the 10th inning and Chipper Jones had a two-run single in the first inning on his 39th birthday. Jones returned to the lineup after sitting out Saturday with right knee pain.

"We won three games from the world champs," said Chipper Jones, "so our confidence is at a different level than it was a week ago."

Atlanta, which lost three of four at Los Angeles to begin its 10-game road trip out west last week, also got a three-run homer out of Jason Heyward, who came into the weekend hitting just .188 but went 7-for-12 in the three-game series with a homer and four RBI to up his season average to .250. Heyward has hit .417 (10-for-24) in six career games versus the Padres with seven RBI.

The Braves' Derek Lowe takes the hill five days after his worst outing of the season. Pitching on short rest versus the Dodgers on Wednesday, the 37-year- old veteran was hammered for five runs on nine hits and a walk in just three innings of a loss.

"I threw way too many non-competitive pitches. I threw 80 pitches in three innings," said Lowe, who fell to 2-3 with a 3.25 ERA in five starts this year.

The right-hander has done well against the Padres in his career, going 5-3 with a 2.75 ERA in 15 starts.

The Braves won four of six over the Padres a season ago, taking two of three at San Diego.