As the NL West race ramps up, the Padres meet the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field for three games. Here's what to expect from in-division play in Phoenix:
The Padres (38-29, 3rd in NL West) dropped two of three games to the NL West leading Dodgers in a mid-week series that concluded Wednesday afternoon. Los Angeles moved two games up on San Diego after a 5-2 victory behind right-hander Ben Casparius and a slew of relievers. The Friars received a strong performance from starter Randy Vásquez before turning it over to the bullpen after 4 2/3 innings.
Over in the desert, the Diamondbacks (34-34, 4th in NL West) finished off a clean-sweep of the Seattle Mariners after Eugenio Suárez belted a sixth inning grand slam to fuel a 5-2 comeback triumph for Arizona. The win moved the Snakes back to .500 on the season, after losing ace Corbin Burnes for the next year-plus due to Tommy John surgery.
This is the first meeting between San Diego and Arizona this season. The last time the pair met was late September 2024, when the Padres ended any postseason hopes for the D-backs.
Pitching matchups
Friday: Padres RHP Stephen Kolek (3-1, 3.00 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks RHP Ryne Nelson (2-2, 4.60 ERA) 6:40 p.m. PT
Kolek will toss the eighth start of his career against Arizona in Friday's opener. The righty is coming off a great 5 2/3 inning effort against Milwaukee on June 7, surrendering only three hits and no runs while striking out two batters. He did issue four walks, which will be key to watch out for this time around versus the Snakes.
Torey Lovullo's squad will take the field behind 27 year-old Ryne Nelson. He struggled in his last outing at Cincinnati, giving up seven earned runs in three innings of work. Like his counterpart, four walks stood out on his line. Both starter's will need to limit the free passes to give their club's a chance to win the contest.
Saturday: Padres RHP Ryan Bergert (1-0, 1.26 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks RHP Zac Gallen (4-8, 5.15 ERA) 4:15 p.m. PT
The rookie right-hander will get the start for the series' middle game. Bergert has been impressive so far through two career starts in San Francisco and Milwaukee. He tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings against the Brew Crew to secure a Friars 1-0 shutout victory.
D-backs ace Zac Gallen hasn't looked like the same dominant hurler through the season's first few months. Gallen has had trouble pitching at home. Having a 1-5 individual record at Chase Field to go along with a 6.38 ERA and .272 BAA, the right-hander looks to start solving the puzzle this weekend.
Sunday: Padres RHP Nick Pivetta (6-2, 3.48 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (6-2, 3.18 ERA) 1:10 p.m. PT
Pivetta's numbers have inflated since his starts against the Giants and Dodgers. From having a steady 2.74 ERA on May 30, the right-hander surrendered five earned runs at Oracle Park and four earned runs against the Dodgers at home on Monday. Pivetta labored through four innings against arguably the league's deepest lineup.
Merrill Kelly has looked like Arizona's most reliable and consistent starter. In his last seven starts, Kelly is 3-1 with a 2.44 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings tossed. In his career against the Padres, Kelly is 9-4 in 16 care
Who's hot?
Padres:
3B Manny Machado white-hot at the plate. In his last month of play, the slugger is slashing .322/.383/.548 with a .931 OPS. and seven homers. 1B Luis Arraez went 4-for-13 (.308 BA) including two doubles and an RBI against Los Angeles over the three game series. RHP Robert Suarez continues to be dominant out of the closer's role, securing his league leading 21st save on June 9. LHP Adrian Morejon has been a left-handed bright spot of late, pitching to a 1.69 ERA with eight strikeouts in his last 5 1/3 innings pitched.
Diamondbacks:
3B Eugenio Suárez is on a power tear over his last seven contests, hitting three homers to go along with a double and eight RBI. 1B Josh Naylor is swatting the baseball through his last 15 games, hitting at a .345 clip with a .377 OBP in that stretch. 2B Ketel Marte is having himself an all-star caliber season since returning from the injured list on May 2, now sitting at 12 home runs and a 1.003 OPS on the year. RHP Shelby Miller has been terrific in his last seven innings out of the pen', posting a 0.00 ERA with seven strikeouts.
Early takeaways
San Diego will look to make up ground in the division standings after falling two games back of first place. The ultra-competitive NL West has seen fluctuations of different leaders through about 70 games this season. After Chase Field, the Padres will head to Chavez Ravine for their second meeting against the Dodgers in the last week.
The Diamondbacks have a chance to get themselves back over .500 and perhaps gain ground in the NL Wild Card race. They'll need their pitching to hold up this weekend and hope the lineup can keep scoring in bunches.