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Rockies-Padres Preview

May 4, 2009 - 1:55 AM By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer

Colorado (9-13) at San Diego (11-13), 10:05 p.m. EDT

It's been almost a week since the San Diego Padres last won a game. That victory came against the Colorado Rockies.

The reeling Padres look to avoid a sixth consecutive loss when they open a two-game series with the Rockies on Monday night at Petco Park.

San Diego (11-14) opened the season 9-3 but has since won twice in 13 games.

Its most recent victory came at Colorado on Tuesday, 4-3. After losing 7-5 the next day in the deciding contest of that three-game set, the Padres were swept by Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium, concluding with a 7-3 loss Sunday.

The Padres, who had five losing streaks of five or more games during their 99-loss 2008 season, have scored 14 runs while batting .173 over the last five contests.

"You can see guys are pressing a little bit and aren't in a total relaxed mode," manager Bud Black told the Padres' official Web site. "They're not doing what they're capable of."

Coming off a 1-6 road trip, San Diego returns home where it's 6-4, but has lost two in a row. The Padres went 5-4 against Colorado at Petco last season but lost the most memorable of those games, 2-1 in 22 innings on April 17.

The Rockies (9-14) are 4-3 since losing 11 of their first 16 games but fell 1-0 in 10 innings at San Francisco on Sunday, dropping two of three in the set.

Todd Helton had one of Colorado's three hits and is batting .478 (11-for-23) during a six-game hitting streak. He went 6-for-11 with a homer and six RBIs versus San Diego last week.

Leadoff hitter Dexter Fowler had a pair of two-hit games against San Diego. His five stolen bases highlighted Colorado's 12-7 win over the Padres last Monday.

The Rockies tagged San Diego's scheduled starter, Kevin Correia (0-2, 4.71 ERA), for three runs - off homers by Helton and Chris Iannetta - and six hits over five innings of their victory Wednesday.

The San Diego native has pitched past the fifth inning once in four starts and threw a season-high 101 pitches against the Rockies.

"Once again, it was just the pitch count," said the right-hander, who is 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA in six starts against Colorado. "I'm not giving up too many runs. I'm just not staying in the game long enough."

The Rockies counter with Jorge De La Rosa (0-2, 3.57), who didn't factor in the decision Tuesday against San Diego after allowing a two-run homer to Scott Hairston and two other hits while striking out six in six innings.

De La Rosa was bothered by a recurring blister on his left middle finger that has yet to force him to miss a start. Though winless, De La Rosa feels he's pitching similarly to how he did during his final eight starts of 2008 when he went 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA.

"I'm doing the same thing that I was doing last year in the second half, and it's worked for me," he told the Rockies' official Web site.

The left-hander has a 6.55 ERA and no record in two starts against San Diego.

Hairston, who platoons in center field with the left-handed hitting Jody Gerut, is batting .347 (17-for-49) with three home runs and 11 RBIs.

First baseman Adrian Gonzalez went 4-for-11 with two homers and four RBIs against Colorado last week.