Diamondbacks Get Set to Host Padres
By Kody Acevedo
May 10, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Cliff Pennington catches a ball as San Diego Padres base runner Will Venable makes a diving slide into second base at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Two teams trying to stay alive in the NL West race, the Arizona Diamondbacks (32-34) and the San Diego Padres (33-36), will begin a three-game series Friday night at Chase Field.
The Diamondbacks are coming off a series split with the Los Angeles Angels, winning Monday night in Anaheim and Wednesday night at Chase.
The D-backs went 4-4 during their long, eight-game California road trip last week with stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Anaheim. The D-backs were swept by the Dodgers then turned around and swept the Giants.
Now, they face their other NL West rival, the Padres, who have beaten the D-backs four out of the seven games they have played so far this season.
The Padres, meanwhile, are also coming off a four-game split series against an American League opponent. They lost three out of four against the Oakland Athletics; losing both games in San Diego and dropping Wednesday’s game up North.
They finally snagged the final game of the series and avoided the sweep, winning 3-1 on Thursday. The victory was also the first win for Interim Manager Pat Murphy, who replaced Bud Black as the Padres’ skipper for the remainder of the 2015 season.
The D-backs will get their first look at the post-Bud Black-era Padres Friday night as both teams attempt to climb their way back to the top of the NL West.
Here is a current look at the NL West standings:
1. Dodgers — (38-29)
2. Giants — (36-32) — 2.5 games back
3. D-backs — (32-34) — 5.5 games back
4. Padres — (33-36) — 6 games back
5. Rockies — (28-38) — 9.5 games back
Despite San Diego having more wins than the D-backs, Arizona’s win percentage gives them the 1/2 game edge over the Padres (.485 compared to .478).
There is no doubt that both of these teams know how important these games are as we head into the mid-way point of the season.
The D-backs face NL West rivals pretty much the rest of the way until the All-Star Break. It is a perfect window of opportunity for them to make up some ground and put themselves in a good place for the second-half of the season.
With that, let’s take a look at the pitching match-ups for the weekend: