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DENVER -- Since enduring a rough stretch, rookie left-hander Tyler Matzek has been building on one success after another. Steve Spurrier Jersey . Matzek pitched a three-hitter for his first career shutout, Nolan Arenado and Drew Stubbs homered, and the Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 3-0 Friday night. It was the third straight victory for Matzek (5-9) since snapping a five-game losing streak. "Were seeing a kid get better and better with just about every start," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "Ive talked about his poise and maturity and he continues to show that. And he continues to show a very good slider. You saw left-handed hitters and right-handed hitters taking some funny swings at that thing." The Padres managed only one extra-base hit against Matzek -- a leadoff double by Abraham Almonte in the ninth that went over the head of left fielder Corey Dickerson. Matzek struck out six, including three in the third around Rymer Lirianos single, the only other hit to reach the outfield. It was San Diegos third straight loss. "I feel like I was finding my groove in the last two or three games," Matzek said. "Definitely feeling good. Just everythings working: fastball location, slider, changeup, curveball. Everything feels right right now." Matzek was the first Rockies pitcher to go the distance this season. He improved to 5-0 with a 0.97 ERA in five starts in which hes pitched at least seven innings. "I think hes getting better," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Hes probably learned along the way. He had a good live fastball. He has life in the hitting area. Good slider with a hard break late. We just couldnt get to it." Matzek also caught a sharply hit liner that shot right back to him off the bat of Liriano in the eighth and had two sacrifice bunts, the first of which put D.J. LeMahieu in position to score on Charlie Blackmons fifth-inning single. Eric Stults (6-16) went 6 1-3 innings in a solid outing, but again had a lack of run support. The Padres have been shut out an NL-high 17 times this season, including five times when Stults has been on the mound. It was the 15th time in his 28 starts that Stults has received one or no runs of support. Stubbs gave Matzek a lead to work with in the first when he connected on a 2-2 pitch for his 14th home run of the season. Arenado led off the sixth with his 16th home run and second in two games. He drove a 1-0 pitch from Stults into the left field seats. NICE TOUCH: Rockies catcher Michael McKenry made a hustling, off-balance catch of Rene Riveras foul popup to end the third inning, running to the dugout and leaning over the railing to snare the ball, right in front of manager Walt Weiss. McKenry then flipped the ball to Rockies owner Dick Monfort, who was seated behind the dugout. Monfort gave the ball to a fan sitting nearby. ZERO SUM GAMES The 17 shutouts are the most for San Diego since being blanked 19 times in 2011 TRAINERS ROOM Padres: RHP Joaquin Benoit, who hasnt pitched since Aug. 26 because of soreness in his pitching shoulder, was expected to miss at least another seven to 10 days. However, manager Bud Black said he anticipates Benoit will pitch again before the end of the season. An MRI taken a week ago did not reveal any structural damage. Rockies: RHP Jhoulys Chacin, on the DL since late June because of inflammation in his right shoulder, has resumed some throwing activities, but manager Walt Weiss said its unlikely hell return before the end of the season. UP NEXT Padres: RHP Joe Wieland is set to start Saturday nights game against the Rockies in his first big league outing in more than two years. Wieland missed most of the 2012 season, all of 2013 and most of this season after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his pitching elbow in July 2012. He last pitched in the majors on May 6, 2012, against Miami at Petco Park. Rockies: LHP Jorge De La Rosa, signed to a two-year contract extension by the Rockies earlier this week, will look to continue his recent success against the Padres. De La Rosa has limited the Padres to three or fewer runs in each of his past four starts. Ricky Watters Jersey .Y. -- Syracuses streak lives on -- barely. Deebo Samuel Jersey . - The Kansas City Royals are hoping All-Star catcher Salvador Perez will be back in a few days.After an appearance at the French Open and a five-match run at the Aegon Classic, Blainville, Quebecs Aleksandra Wozniak reflects on her play and her preparation for Roland Garros in her personal blog on RDS.ca and TSN.ca. The last few weeks have been hectic between my participation at Roland Garros and my debut this Tuesday at Wimbledon. It was a heartbreaking match against Sorana Cirstea at the French Open about two weeks ago. Its been awhile since I found myself in a situation like that. I lost the match by a hair after being at match point. Against the 26th-seed in the tournament, a player who hits very hard, its already promised to be difficult. I played a very good game until I dropped the second set and it has been a little hard to get over it eventually. I rather started playing a little too defensively and it let her take the lead and I dropped points. I made too many mistakes in the third set and its been difficult for me after the meeting. But its time to turn the page quickly to tackle the season on grass. I trained with artificial turf on the site of Roland Garros and made the adjustments necessary to make the transition from clay to grass, which is not easy because its a completely different game. Balls move faster, points come quicker with up to three exchanges, and it is rare that there are more than that. It was necessary to modify some aspects of my game accordingly. To put these adjustments into practice, I flew to Birmingham where I had an excellent tournament. I played five big matches, including two in qualifying. My progress was stopped, however, in the third round by former Wimbledon semi-finalist, Kirsten Flipkens. I won the first set 6-1 and was leading the second 3-1, but Flipkens came back strong and served well. She played better in the third set than I did. While she was aggressive, I struggled with my games and was fighting shots. Flipkens is especially difficult to play on grass because of the way she can slice and her net play, so its no surprise that she went as far as she did at Wimbledon in 2013. Still, it was a good tournnament for me and there was a lot to be gained from it. Marcell Harris Jersey. . Little by little, Im improving in the rankings. Im up to 118th in the world, which is an improvement of 17 places since the last rankings. My coach, Nathalie Tauziat, also said she likes the progress in my game that shes noticed since the beginning of this European swing at the Cagnes-sur-Mer tournament in France. Were continuing to move forward and this is encouraging. It just takes one good tournament run to accumulate points and keep propelling forward. Tomorrow (June 17), I have another opportunity to build on this momentum when I begin qualifying for the main draw at Wimbledon. I will face Renata Voracova, not a very well-known player, who is ranked 172nd in the world. Shes a regular doubles player on top of singles and loves to play at the net. Voracova loves to play on grass and Im going to have to dictate the pace from the start. Because the ball doesnt bounce as well on grass, Im going to have to keep low, legs bent, in anticipation of its movement. Qualification continues on Wednesday and Thursday. A woman amongst the men A little bit of a digression here on the recent news of Andy Murray hiring Amelie Mauresmo as his new coach. Its rare to see a woman in this position, especially in the ATP, because often, after their careers, female players spend time with their families. I think Murray picked Mauresmo with good reason. Shes a former Grand Slam champion (the Australian Open and Wimbledon) with lots of experience. He sees what she can provide, but this is a bit of a different approach. In my case, it was last year when I began training with a female coach after years of training with men. We get along well because Nathalie understands the emotions of a player. Their new partnership is a trial for the grass court season. Its difficult to find the right mix between the player and coach and theres always a period of adjustment. Chemistry wont be built in an instant. Murray will assess all of this after Wimbledon to see if the potential for a longer-term partnership is there. ' ' '
- Created: Dec 30 '19
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