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Surging Diamondbacks conclude series with Padres

Jul 28, 2011 - 3:24 PM (Sports Network) - The Diamondbacks managed to put on a power display at Petco Park on Wednesday. History says Daniel Hudson will turn the venue back into a pitcher's park today.

Hudson puts his undefeated mark against the Padres on the line as surging Arizona goes for a three-game sweep of San Diego.

The 24-year-old Hudson has won all three of his career starts against the Padres, including two this year, while posting a 0.83 earned run average. San Diego has scored just once off him in 14 innings this season.

Jason Bartlett drove in that run and Chris Denorfia has three hits in four at- bats versus Hudson this year with a double and a triple. However, Chase Headley, Ryan Ludwick and Alberto Gonzalez are a combined 1-for-17 with four strikeouts off him in 2011.

Hudson will be looking to rebound today and avoid losing consecutive starts for the first time since he began the season with four setbacks in a row from April 2-21. He was bested by the Rockies on Friday, his first defeat since May 12, after allowing five runs on a season high-tying 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out seven in the 8-4 decision and had trouble getting into a groove.

"I just wasn't able to make a pitch when I needed to," Hudson said. "I really struggled out of the stretch, just couldn't get comfortable out of the stretch all night."

The right-hander had gone 7-0 over his previous 12 starts, with the D-Backs winning all but two of those games. On the season, Hudson is 10-6 with a 3.72 earned run average in 21 starts.

Hudson may have to double check that he is on the Petco Park mound after the Diamondbacks and Padres combined for four homers in Arizona's 4-3 victory on Wednesday. Two of those were hit by Justin Upton and covered nearly 850 combined feet to give him 20 on the season.

"The first one I was a little worried about, but the second one I knew was going to get out," said a confident Upton.

Xavier Nady added a two-run homer and Ian Kennedy gave up two runs and struck out nine over six innings to win his 12th game of the season. J.J. Putz recorded his 22nd save of the season, appearing in a game for the first time since June 28 because of elbow tendinitis.

Overall, Arizona has won four straight and eight of 12 since the All-Star break to remain three games back of first-place San Francisco in the National League West. The squad will look to close the gap today with a fourth straight win over the Padres and its first three-game sweep in San Diego since April 24-26, 2006.

Luis Martinez became the first Padres player to hit a homer for his first major league hit since Drew Macias in Sept. 11, 2008, but it didn't help San Diego avoid a fifth loss in six games. Will Venable hit a two-run triple, but Cory Luebke yielded four runs over six-plus frames.

"[Luebke] threw the ball fine. Upton got him twice and Nady hit the ball to the right part of the park. Those are the four runs," Padres manager Bud Black said.

Mat Latos shoots for his first victory since June 27 with his outing for the Padres.

The right-hander is winless in his past four starts, losing two straight before consecutive no-decisions. He has gone at least six innings in all four games and hasn't allowed more than three runs in an outing, but the Padres have been limited to 10 runs over that time.

Six of those came in his last start in Philadelphia on Saturday, when Latos gave up a three-run homer in the first inning and nothing else run wise over his next five innings. He also struck out seven, but San Diego's bullpen was beat up in an 8-6 loss.

In 19 starts this year, the 23-year-old Latos is 5-10 with a 4.05 ERA. He hasn't faced the Diamondbacks this year, but is 1-0 in two previous contests against them, giving up one run over 12 innings with 16 strikeouts.