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Stauffer tries to slow down Braves

Jun 24, 2011 - 2:52 PM (Sports Network) - Tim Stauffer hopes a series victory isn't the only thing his Padres took with them when they left Boston. Some confident batters would also please the starter.

Stauffer looks to shake off some recent tough-luck outings and get San Diego off on the right foot this evening when he tries to deny the Atlanta Braves a fifth straight victory in the opener of a three-game series at Petco Park.

The Padres lost their first seven interleague games this year, including a 14-5 pounding in Boston on Monday. However, they rebounded to take the final two games of that set, holding the Red Sox's offense in check over consecutive 5-4 and 5-1 victories. The latter came on Wednesday in a weather-shortened finale that was called in the eighth inning after a fourth rain delay.

Will Venable hit his first home run of the season to lead off the game and some wildness by Boston starter John Lackey helped the Padres later add to their advantage. That was enough for San Diego starter Clayton Richard, who gave up one run over five innings to help the Padres end a road trip 3-6.

"We came into a ballpark and a team that's been playing very well, scoring a ton of runs. And we won a series," said San Diego manager Bud Black, whose club won its first series since taking three of four from the Astros on June 2-5.

Scoring a ton of runs hasn't been San Diego's calling card when Stauffer takes the hill. The right-hander has been a recipient of just 2.15 runs of support per game, the lowest average in baseball among qualifying pitchers.

Case in point, Stauffer has allowed just a run over his last three starts, a span of 22 innings, but is just 1-1 in that time thanks to the Padres scoring just two runs of their own.

Stauffer earned a 2-0 victory over Colorado on June 7 with eight shutout innings, then got a no-decision in a 2-0 setback to Washington five days later despite seven scoreless frames on his part. The low point then came on Saturday in Minnesota when Stauffer took a 1-0 loss after giving up the lone run on six hits over seven innings, falling to 2-5 with a 3.13 earned run average in 15 starts this year.

The 29-year-old has faced the Braves six times, half of those starts, and is 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA.

Atlanta returns to NL action after a three-game sweep over Toronto pushed its winning streak to four straight. The Braves took Wednesday's finale, 5-1, with Brandon Beachy logging the win on the strength of a career-high 11 strikeouts in six innings of one-run ball.

Dan Uggla and Brian McCann both hit two-run homers, with Uggla going deep off a left-hander pitcher for the first time this season. The struggling second baseman is hitting .177 over 76 games this year with 10 homers and 23 RBI.

"I've thrown numbers out the window," said Uggla. "I'm just gonna go out and hit the ball hard and try and help my team any way I can."

Veteran Braves starter Derek Lowe is winless over his past eight starts, going 0-2 with a 4.96 ERA since his last win no May 6, a rut he'll look to break tonight.

After giving up five runs over 5 1/3 innings of a defeat in Houston on June 13, he yielded four runs -- three earned -- on seven hits in five frames of a no-decision versus the Rangers Saturday. The 38-year-old righty is 3-5 with a 4.10 ERA this season.

Lowe gave up two runs and struck out a season-high eight batters over six innings of a no-decision at San Diego on April 25, and brings a career 5-3 record and 2.76 ERA against the Padres into this game.

These two teams have split six meetings this year, with the Braves winning seven of the last 11 matchups overall.