=== San Diego Padres Team Report - July 18 === (My Sportsbook) - The San Diego Padres aim for a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros this afternoon, as the teams play the finale at Minute Maid Park. The Padres picked up a 7-4 victory on Saturday behind the hot bat of Mark Loretta. The All-Star belted a two-run homer and ended 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, as the Padres won their third straight. Loretta is hitting .529 (9-for-17) with two homers, six RBI and five runs scored in his last four games. Terrence Long added two RBI and Sean Burroughs went 2-for-5 with an RBI in the win. David Wells (5-5) allowed three runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings to record the win. Trevor Hoffman worked the ninth to earn his 24th save. The Padres took two of three from the Astros last week and are 15-11 against Houston since the start of the 2001 season. Brian Lawrence can nail down his 11th win of the season, as he takes the ball for the Padres. Lawrence is coming off a no decision last Saturday against Colorado after allowing three runs and six hits in four frames. The 28-year-old is 1-2 with a 2.79 ERA in three career starts against the Astros. |
