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Maddux will hope to keep Padres atop wild card race

Sep 23, 2007 - 2:18 PM Colorado (83-72) at San Diego (85-69) 4:05 pm EDT

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) - The San Diego Padres' playoff run is in jeopardy and the Colorado Rockies are breathing life in their postseason hopes.

The Rockies will look for their eighth consecutive win Sunday when they wrap up a critical three-game series with the Padres.

Both clubs enter this series rolling, but Brad Hawpe has provided the surge for Colorado in the first two games. Hawpe's 14th-inning homer lifted the Rockies to a 2-1 win Friday and he went 4-for-4 with two RBI in Saturday's 6-2 triumph.

With the pair of losses, San Diego slipped 2 1/2 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks (88-67) in the National League West. It also saw its lead in the wild card over the Philadelphia Phillies (85-70) sliced to one-half game.

San Diego will turn to future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux (13-10, 3.95 ERA) to contain Hawpe and the rest of the potent Colorado offense. The 41-year-old righthander, who is bothered by a sore lower back, has won six of his last seven decisions.

If Maddux is to log his 347th career win, it could not have come at a better time for the Padres.

Lefthander Jeff Francis (16-8, 4.25) will get the start for Colorado, which trails San Diego by 2 1/2 games in the wild card race. The 26-year-old Francis yielded just one run and six hits with a season-high 10 strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings in a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday.