first pitch: 7:05 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4
matchup: Jake Peavy (5-0, 2.00 ERA) vs Wes Obermueller (1-0, 2.43 ERA)
previews: ESPN | CBS | SI | Padres.com

Ho hum, the Pads won another one-run game to improve their home record to 17-4 and extend their lead in the NL West to a whopping three games over Arizona. Darrell May again kept things close until the bench and bullpen could take care of business. Akinori Otsuka, Rudy Seanez, and Scott Linebrink finished up on the mound, with Miguel Ojeda providing the game winner on a two-out pinch double in the bottom of the ninth that scored Geoff Blum.

Tonight it’s all about Peavy. Wanna know something scary? Peavy is having a better year so far than last year. You know what that means, right? At least one Cy Young vote. Check it out, through 10 starts:

        date IP/G  ERA  H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 P/IP
2004   2 Jul  5.9 1.98 8.69 0.46 3.05 9.00 16.5
2005  26 May  7.2 2.00 6.38 0.50 1.50 9.13 14.2

ERA is about the same, but he’s harder to hit and he’s cut his walks in half. He’s also throwing over two fewer pitches per inning, which is allowing him to work an additional 1 1/3 innings per game. Oh, and he turns 24 today. Happy birthday, Jake!

                               AB   BA  OBP  SLG
Peavy vs current Brewers       32 .250 .324 .531
Obermueller vs current Padres  37 .297 .378 .324

Not much to go on for either guy. Geoff Jenkins (.571/.571/1.857 in 7 AB) is doing virtually all the damage against Peavy. On the other side, Obermueller has a very long name. He’s also put up some real good numbers in limited action this year. Beyond that, I don’t know much about him.

X Factor

Xavier Nady, pinch hitting for Rudy Seanez, led off the seventh with an infield single. He stayed in the game and played left field, striking out in his only other at-bat, in the ninth.