=== San Diego Padres Team Report - May 21 ===

(My Sportsbook) - With just two wins in their last 17 games, the San Diego Padres are in jeopardy of completely losing out on the entire 2003 season, even before they've played a single game in June.

On Tuesday Xavier Nady went 3-for-4 with a homer and four runs batted in, but even he could not stop the bleeding as the Padres dropped their season-high seventh straight outing with an 8-7 decision against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

Reliever Matt Herges, who easily retired the first two batters in the ninth, allowed a home run to John Vander Wal in losing his first game of the season.

It was the first home run surrendered by Herges in 22 2/3 innings this season. Herges gave up two runs in 1 2/3 innings for the loss. Starter Adam Eaton pitched five innings and gave up five runs and six hits. He struck out seven and walked two.

With the loss the Padres fell to 6-17 on the road and 15 1/2 games behind the San Francisco Giants for first place in the National League West.

Oddly enough, even though San Diego has won four fewer games than the Brewers, it has a pair of three-game win streaks while Milwaukee is still shooting for its first.

Righthander Jake Peavy, who is winless in his last four starts will get the ball this afternoon for San Diego. Peavy leads the Padres in wins with four and will be making his first career start versus the Brewers. He has gone at least six innings in each of his last seven outings. In his most recent appearance, he surrendered four runs and seven hits over six innings in a loss at Atlanta last Friday.

San Diego batters have been hitting the ball fairly well through 46 contests, batting a collective .253, but the pitching staff is what has been doing the team in with a league-high 5.72 ERA. San Diego hurlers are third in the NL in strikeouts with 343 but have also issued a league-high 215 walks through 409 innings.

The Padres are trying to keep from losing eight in a row for the first time since May 30 - June 6, 2001.