When last we left the San Diego Padres, they had won two straight games in Texas to finish out the traditional first half of the season. On Friday night, back from the All-Star break, the Friars were hosting the Colorado Rockies.
We don't get to say this often, so we'll go ahead and take the chance ... the Padres have not lost in a week!
The Padres beat the Rockies 4-2 for their 3rd straight win. That definitely qualifies as a winning streak for this season. Matt Kemp and Jedd Gyorko both hit home runs in the first inning off Colorado starter Jorge De La Rosa. Kemp's was a solo shot and Gyorko's a 2-run job.
Both players struggled early in the year but have been swinging the bat markedly better of late. Kemp is hitting .361 over the last two weeks and Gyorko is at .300 for the month of July. Both of them figure to be around for the long haul.
However, several guys who helped in this one might not be around very much longer. Starting pitcher James Shields threw 5.0 innings and allowed one run to get the win. It's his first victory since June 3. Joaquin Benoit threw a perfect 8th inning with a pair of strikeouts. Justin Upton hit a monster solo homer in the 8th to give the Padres their fourth and final run. Craig Kimbrel tossed a perfect 9th inning to get his 24th save of the year.
All of those guys (and probably a few more like outfielder Will Venable) will be the subject of trade talks right up until the July 31 deadline. How the Padres play in the 13 games leading up to it will determine whether or not general manager A.J. Preller keeps his great off-season experiment together or blows it up and starts fresh again.
