Padres Head To Desert To Face D-Backs

May 28, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Tommy Medica (14) hits a solo home run during the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Series Preview

The Padres (59-67) finish off their road trip by playing a three-game series with the Diamondbacks (53-75) in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks are slumping right now, having lost 6 in a row and 8 of their last 10. They are in danger of falling back into last place. They are coming off getting swept by the red-hot Nationals in our Nation’s Capital. The Padres are coming off of a tough series loss in Los Angeles that could have easily gone the other way with a few more breaks. The Padres are playing well and should be able to handle Arizona.

The D-backs are a bit banged up. They will be without Bronson Arroyo, Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Ross among others, during this series and beyond. The Padres are 3-6 against Arizona, having never won a series against them this year. The Friars are also 1-2 at Chase Field this year. Although they seem to be the better team, the Padres have had trouble figuring out the Diamondbacks this season. The Padres are banged up themselves as well. Everth Cabrera is still out and they have lost Yonder Alonso for the season. On the bright side, Andrew Cashner will be returning for this series and making his first start since June 18th.

Aug 17, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne (40) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

Game 1

In Game 1, the rookie Odrisamer Despaigne (3-4, 3.28 ERA) will look to bounce back from a rough start. His counterpart will be Josh Collmenter (8-7, 4.31 ERA). Despaigne has a 4.86 ERA in his last 3 starts, going 1-1. He has one start against the Diamondbacks, pitching 6.2 innings with one earned run and four walks. He ended up getting the win. He had a rough start against the Cardinals, giving up 5 runs and only getting through 4 innings.

Collmenter has allowed 11 runs total in his last 3 starts, going 0-2 in that stretch. He has not won since July 20th. He is 3-3 with a 3.65 ERA against the Padres. In his last start against the Padres, he threw 5.1 innings and got the win by only allowing one run. His home numbers are very different from his road ones. He has a 3.20 ERA at home while posting a 6.04 ERA on the road.

Miguel Montero is the best hitter available for the Diamondbacks, with 12 HRs and 63 RBI. He has been successful against the Padres this year. Mark Trumbo has also gotten healthy and is hitting well. He his hitting .281 in his last 10 games.

Jun 18, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Andrew Cashner (34) pitches against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Game 2

The long-awaited return of Andrew Cashner (2-6, 2.36 ERA) has come as he will face off against Vidal Nuno (2-8, 4.79 ERA) in Saturday’s game. Cashner has had 6 starts against Arizona, with a 3.67 ERA and 3-1. In his last start against the Diamondbacks, he threw 6 innings and gave up 2 runs and 3 walks and got tagged with the loss. He has had two trips to the disabled list this year and only has 12 starts. His last start was against the Mariners when he pitched 7 innings and only allowed one run.

Nuno has not won since June 27th. He played most of the year with the Yankees, going 2-5 in 14 starts. He has a 3.72 ERA in 8 starts with the Diamondbacks. He has never faced the Padres before.

Arizona will have a different looking lineup as they traded away Gerardo Parra and Martin Prado before the deadline. Those two combined for 11 HRs, 72 RBI and 214 hits. That is a huge chunk of offense the D-backs are missing, not to mention their MVP candidate Goldschmidt is on the shelf. The Padres have a good opportunity to take this series by the horns.

Aug 20, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder David Peralta (6) hits a single against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Game 3

The finale of the series will feature Ian Kennedy (9-11, 3.72 ERA) against the 26 year-old rookie Chase Anderson (7-5, 3.71 ERA). Kennedy got the loss in his last start against the Dodgers, allowing 5 runs in 5 innings. He has struggled a bit lately, allowing 8 runs on 13 hits in his last 2 starts.  He has 3 career starts against the Diamondbacks, going 1-1 with a 6.05 ERA. He has struggled against his former team of 3-plus years. As a Diamondback, he went 48-34 with a 3.82 ERA with 661 strikeouts. He won 21 games for Arizona in 2011.

Anderson got knocked around in his last start against the Nationals, allowing 6 runs in 2 innings. He has faced the Padres once before, getting the win by pitching 5 solid innings, only allowing one run and striking out 3.

Another player to watch for is David Peralta. He has had success against the Padres this year. He is hitting .286 with 6 triples this season. He is 3-for-7 with 2 RBI and a walk against San Diego this year. The 27 year-old from Venezuela is second among NL rookies in triples and is third in hits.