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Peavy, Padres look to avoid being swept at home

Aug 2, 2007 - 2:18 PM Arizona (60-49) at San Diego (56-50) 3:35 pm EDT

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- The San Diego Padres cannot score runs. Therefore they need Jake Peavy to continue to regain his early season form.

Peavy takes the mound as the Padres try and avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday.

Peavy (10-5, 2.41 ERA) won for the first time in five starts on Friday by limiting the Houston Astros to one run and four hits in seven innings in a 9-4 win. He began the season 9-2 with a 2.18 ERA, earning the right to start the All-Star game. However, since then he is 1-3 with a 3.66 ERA.

The righthander will try and help the Padres rebound from a disheartening loss on Wednesday. San Diego rallied from a 5-1 deficit with four runs in the ninth but lost 9-5 in 11 innings as Eric Byrnes drove in the go-ahead run and Chad Tracy hit a pinch-hit three-run shot off Heath Bell.

San Diego has lost 12 of 19 since the All-Star break and is averaging just 4.2 runs per game this season - the third-worst mark in baseball.

Meanwhile, Arizona survived a second straight blown save by All-Star closer Jose Valverde to maintain a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers (58-49) in the National League West Division.

Yusmeiro Petit (2-2, 3.44) takes the hill for Arizona, which has won 10 of its last 11 and four straight on the road.

The 22-year-old Petit is likely to remain in the rotation for the rest of the season after Randy Johnson underwent season-ending back surgery. The righthander will try to rebound from his worst start of the season in which he allowed five runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings against Atlanta on Friday.