Sick Cuddyer misses second straight game

DENVER -- Michael Cuddyer missed his second straight game because of illness Monday, when he was scheduled to be awarded the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association Heart and Hustle Award for the Rockies.

Though manager Walt Weiss said Cuddyer could come to Coors Field during the game if he started to improve, the club told him to stay home to rest. It appears to be the same sickness that struck the Cuddyer household at the beginning of August, when he flew back to Denver to care for his family and missed two games.

Already without slugger Carlos Gonzalez, who is battling a sprained middle finger in his right hand, the Rockies opened their series against the Padres without two of their most important bats. Cuddyer leads the team with a .328 average and ranks second to Gonzalez with 66 RBIs.