(Sports Network) - Clayton Richard was bailed out by his offense the last time he took the mound. The San Diego Padres hope that Richard won't need the help when he gets the nod tonight in the second installment of a three-game series versus the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park.
Richard was on the hill in Sunday's 9-7 victory and luckily did not post a decision after getting rocked for six runs on six hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings. He remained at 6-4 in 18 starts and saw his earned run average go from 3.00 to 3.33.
The left-hander, who is 2-0 in his last four starts with back-to-back no- decisions, has never faced Arizona in his career. Richard hopes his first appearance in this series will push his home record over the .500 mark. He is 3-3 with a 3.02 ERA in 10 starts on the Petco Park mound.
San Diego will try to make sure it won't have a drought in run scoring after posting a 12-1 beating of the D'Backs last night, as Chase Headley finished 3- for-4 with a home run and runs scored to lead the way. Adrian Gonzalez hit a two-run homer for the National League West-leading Padres, who are three games ahead Colorado and 3 1/2 games in front of both Los Angeles and San Francisco in the division standings.
Jon Garland gave up just one run in six innings to take the win. He allowed three hits, walked two and struck out five.
"I was able to throw all the pitches for strikes," Garland said on the team's site. "That first inning, it just seemed like every guy was on every pitch and putting it in play [and] the pitch count was getting up there. But after that, I started getting ahead of guys, making the pitches I wanted to make and kept them off balance."
The Padres have won two straight and six of their last 10 games.
Arizona, however, has lost eight of its last nine games and looked awful in last night's beat down. Kelly Johnsonhad two of the D'Backs' four hits and Justin Upton doubled in the only run in defeat.
Diamondbacks starter Dan Haren continued to struggle and fell to 7-8 this season after yielding six runs and eight hits in five innings. Blaine Boyer gave up two runs and Jordan Norberto was reached for three in relief.
"Not a good way to start the second half," Haren said on Arizona's official website. "Hopefully we can bounce back."
Taking the hill for the D'Backs tonight will be Rodrigo Lopez, who is 3-1 with a 3.28 ERA in his last four starts. Lopez last pitched in a 10-4 rout of the Florida Marlins on July 8 and allowed four runs -- three earned -- on five hits through seven innings of work.
Lopez, who improved to 5-7 in 18 starts and lowered his ERA to 4.40, will face the Padres for the second time in his career. The right-hander was a member of the Baltimore Orioles the first and only time he pitched against San Diego back on June 12, 2002 in a 2-0 loss. Lopez went the distance that day but was dealt the loss for allowing both runs and five hits with five K's.
San Diego has won five of seven meetings with Arizona this season and seven of the previous 11 contests between the NL West foes.