Vidal Nuno hasn't earned a victory despite pitching well since joining the Arizona Diamondbacks more than two months ago, and Eric Stults is tied for the most losses in the majors as the San Diego Padres have failed to produce for him at the plate.
Neither should expect anything different pitching for two of the lowest-scoring offenses in the majors, but they're refusing to succumb to frustration.
Nuno opposes Stults as the Diamondbacks host the Padres in the opener of a three-game series Friday night.
Since being acquired from the New York Yankees for Brandon McCarthy on July 6, Nuno has gone 0-5 despite a 3.16 ERA in 11 starts. He's pitched at least seven innings in each of his last four outings while posting a 2.15 ERA, but he's received just six runs of support in that stretch and took the loss in the last two.
Nuno gave up two runs in seven innings of a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in his most recent outing last Friday.
"It's not frustrating," Nuno said of the lack of run support. "It's going out there and putting up zeros and giving guys a chance to win. It is in the back of my mind a little bit, but I just go out there and try to have fun and get the job done."
The left-hander's only career start against the Padres was Aug. 23, when he gave up two runs in 7 1-3 innings of Arizona's 5-2 win.
Stults (6-16, 4.55) knows a bit about lack of support, as his 2.84 run-support average is the lowest of any qualified major league starter. He's lost his last three starts, receiving two runs combined in those outings.
The left-hander allowed three runs in 6 1-3 innings of a 3-0 loss to Colorado last Friday.
"My job is to pitch. I have to give us a chance to win," Stults said. "If we don't score runs, I can't control that."
Manager Bud Black again felt Stults did all he could to keep the Padres in the game.
"There are certain guys in certain rotations that happens to," Black said. "It just falls on his day, which is tough luck. Eric battled again. He was a victim of a night when we didn't score."
Stults is trying to avoid becoming the first Padres pitcher to lose 17 games since Bobby J. Jones had 19 in 2001.
San Diego has scored four times for Stults in his two starts against the Diamondbacks this season. He gave up three runs in six innings of the Padres' 4-3 win May 27 before allowing three runs - two earned - in 5 1-3 innings of a 3-1 loss June 28.
The Padres (67-78) have scored the fewest runs in the majors by far and were shut out for the 19th time in Wednesday's 4-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. They wasted a solid start from Ian Kennedy and have been outscored 43-18 while dropping seven of eight.
"We had a couple of times when he had men on second and third and no outs or one out, and we didn't score any runs," catcher Rene Rivera said. "It's bad when you don't have any run support."
San Diego is on the verge of being the first team to suffer 20 shutouts since the 2008 Washington Nationals were blanked 21 times.
The Diamondbacks (59-87) are tied with Colorado for the worst record in the NL and rank just two spots ahead of the Padres in runs. They've scored eight times during a six-game losing streak after falling 6-2 to San Francisco on Thursday.
Arizona's only victories over its last 10 came when it split a four-game road series with the Padres from Sept. 1-4.
