Pitching behind Padres' 8-3 surge
Upton (HRs), Kemp (RBIs) top 2014 leaders
Bill Center, longtime sportswriter for U-T San Diego, is an employee of the Padres.
In case you haven't noticed, the Padres have been getting some solid pitching recently. Ditto, for the most part, for the defense behind that pitching.
Miami managed to score only four runs in the Padres' three-game winning streak to cap a 6-3 homestand. And during their 8-3 run, the Padres have allowed only 36 runs - and only two unearned runs - to score.
The five starters have a 1.82 earned run average during the last tour through the rotation. And over the last 11 games, the rotation's ERA is 3.08.
As for the bullpen, closer Craig Kimbrel has earned the save in each of the Padres 10 victories. And Joaquim Benoit and Kimbrel have worked the last three wins in tandem - allowing a combined no runs on one hit and no walks with six strikeouts over six innings.
FROM THE SCORECARD:
-- Some comparisons between the 2015 Padres as they head into Tuesday's 100th game and the 2014 Padres for the entire season. Home runs -- Justin Upton leads the 2015 Padres with 16 homers; Yasmani Grandal led the 2014 Padres with 15 for the entire season. RBIs - Matt Kemp leads the 2015 Padres with 54; Jedd Gyorko led the 2014 Padres with 51 for the entire season.
-- The Padres are 38-0 this season when leading after eight innings. Since the start of the 2014 season, the Padres are 101-1 when leading after eight innings.
-- The Padres are 30-21 (.588) this season in games decided by two or fewer runs. Seventeen of the last 19 runs have been by two or fewer runs. The Padres are 46-28 when they score two or more runs and 43-19 when they score three or more. They are also 32-18 in games when they hit a home run.
-- Craig Kimbrel has successfully converted 29 of 30 save opportunities this season, including 20 in a row. Over his last 26 appearances, Kimbrel has allowed two runs on 13 hits and 10 walks with 32 strikeouts over 25 2/3 innings for an earned run average of 0.70. His ERA during the run has dropped from 5.74 to 2.75. He has allowed no hits and only one walk with seven strikeouts over his last six, one-inning appearances.