San Francisco Giants (84-69) at San Diego Padres (72-81), 8:40 p.m. (ET)
(SportsNetwork.com) - The San Francisco Giants try to avoid losing ground in the playoff race on Saturday night as they resume a three-game series with the San Diego Padres.
The Giants were blanked 5-0 on Friday night by the Padres and starter Odrisamer Despaigne, who spun seven scoreless innings of work. He allowed just two hits and fanned six, and in three starts versus the Giants this season has allowed one run over 20 innings.
Tim Hudson, meanwhile, labored through 4 1/3 innings, charged with five runs -- four earned -- to remain winless since Aug. 22.
"I felt pretty good today, actually," said Hudson, who is battling a hip injury.
The loss was San Francisco's fourth in six games, and though they remained percentage points ahead of Pittsburgh for the top wild card spot, it fell 3 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West.
The Padres wasted no time getting to Hudson. Yangervis Solarte led off the bottom of the first with a single to center. Jedd Gyorko also singled and Yasmani Grandal drew a walk to load the bags for Alexi Amarista, who plated a pair of runners with a double to right-center. Cameron Maybin followed with a two-run single before getting thrown out trying to steal to end the inning.
"The big hit was Alexi's, he got it down in right-center" said Padres manager Bud Black. "And Cameron hit a hanging breaking ball. Two good swings by Alexi and Cam."
San Diego has won four of its last five games and will turn to Andrew Cashner, who is looking to finish his tough-luck season strong and is aiming for a third straight winning start tonight.
Cashner tossed a two-hit shutout on Monday versus Philadelphia, his second shutout of the year and third of his career. He outdueled the Phillies' Jerome Williams in a tight 1-0 win, walking one and striking out seven.
"Right from the start you could tell that (Williams) was on, you could tell that (Cashner) was on," Black said. "You knew that this was going to be a low scoring game."
The winning streak has improved the righty to only 4-7 this year despite an excellent 2.20 earned run average.
Cashner is facing the Giants for the first time this year and is 1-3 against them lifetime with a 3.97 ERA in nine games (3 starts).
Yusmeiro Petit takes the mound for the Giants having lost for the first time in three decisions with Sunday's 4-2 setback to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He gave up all four runs -- three earned -- on eight hits over seven innings, striking out eight to zero walks.
Petit is 5-4 with a 3.64 ERA in 37 games this season, including 10 starts, and the righty is 1-4 lifetime versus the Padres with a 4.76 ERA in 11 games with four starts.
The Giants and Padres split 12 meetings this season coming into this series.