Padres in danger of dropping 7th in a row Monday night
The San Diego Padres are on the verge of their longest losing streak in two seasons but will next host the Cincinnati Reds, a team they've handled in most of their recent matchups.
The Padres will also have the opportunity in Monday night's opener to start Ian Kennedy, who has usually performed well against the Reds.
San Diego took a sixth consecutive defeat Sunday, 5-3 to Philadelphia, and is in danger of dropping seven in a row for the first time since a 10-game skid June 29-July 8, 2013. The Padres (52-60) have been outscored 35-15 during their losing streak and will try to end that with an eighth win in 10 games against the Reds (49-60) since the beginning of last season.
"We played good baseball there for a while, and then we've definitely been scuffling," said pitcher Andrew Cashner, whose team won eight of 10 before its skid. "We're probably just pressing a little bit too much, but I still believe in these guys."
San Diego took two of three in Cincinnati from June 5-7, and Kennedy (6-10, 4.49 ERA) didn't get the chance to appear in that series. The right-hander is 4-1 with a 2.40 ERA in six starts against the Reds, his lowest ERA versus any team he's faced more than twice.
Kennedy tries to bounce back after giving up four runs in the first of his seven innings in Wednesday's 8-5 loss in Milwaukee in his return from paternity leave. He was 2-0 with a 2.37 ERA in his prior three starts.
"That happens in sports. You don't always bring your best when the bell rings, but then you settle down," interim manager Pat Murphy said. "Innings two through seven, he was as good as I've seen him."
Kennedy, 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA in his last five home starts, will get to face a team that's dropped four of five.
In Sunday's 4-3, 10-inning loss in Arizona, the Reds argued that two Diamondbacks runners failed to touch a base on Chris Owings' winning single, and tried to tag the bases to extend the game. Umpires correctly ruled that because there was only one out, only the runners going to first and home plate had to touch their bases.
David Holmberg (1-0, 3.27) will make his third start of the season and first against San Diego since his major league debut Aug. 27, 2013. The left-hander gave up three runs in 3 2-3 innings in a 10-9 win for Arizona.
He allowed two runs and two hits in five-plus innings Wednesday against St. Louis, but J.J. Hoover couldn't hold on to a one-run lead in the eighth in a 4-3 loss in 13 innings.
Joey Votto is 5 for 12 with two doubles lifetime against Kennedy but is batting .136 in his last eight games. He's batting .357 with a 1.077 OPS in his last 27 against San Diego.
Todd Frazier is hitting .343 in his past nine matchups but was out of the starting lineup Sunday because he's hitting .102 with a major league-worst 34 men left on base in 13 contests since July 26.
"If (sitting) does anything for him (mentally), terrific," manager Bryan Price told MLB's official website. "He's a little out of character right now swinging at pitches that aren't really good pitches to hit early in the at-bat. That would suggest that he's pressing."
Frazier is 2 for 10 against Kennedy since 2013.
