Padres Continue Series With Pesky Diamondbacks

Aug 23, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Diego Padres center fielder

(24) scores on a hit by third baseman

(not pictured) as Arizona Diamondbacks catcher

(26) looks on during the eighth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Padres (64-71) finish off the homestand against the Arizona Diamondbacks (57-79), starting Monday. Arizona is coming off of a series win against the lowly Rockies. The Padres have a bit of momentum as they have won two straight series against first place teams.The Snakes have been absolute pests for the Padres. The Friars have been above them in the standings just about all year, yet the Diamondbacks have won every single series these two teams have had thus far this year. The Padres are 4-8 in the four series against Arizona. For some reason, they seem to be the Padres kryptonite. It will be interesting to see if this can change this time around.

This series is of the four-game variety, which will end the Padres 10-game homestand. These two teams met not two weeks ago and health-wise, the Diamondbacks are still banged up. The D-backs are without Patrick Corbin, Bronson Arroyo, Paul Goldschmidt and Chris Owings. The Padres also have their fair share of injuries. They are still without All-Star shortstop Everth Cabrera, who starts a rehab assignment this week.

Tyson Ross  tossed his 14th consecutive quality start to give the Padres a victory in the series opener versus the Diamondbacks on Labor Day. He pitched 6 innings, allowing only 1 earned run, while striking out 8. Ross has quietly continued to prove to be one of the elite pitchers in all of baseball. Odds are, he’d be close to winning his 20th game of the season if the Padres’ scored any runs at all for him on a consistent basis.

Trevor Cahill struggled again, going only 4 innings for the D-backs, allowing 3 earned runs. Control was his enemy, as he walked six and struck out five. Rookie call-up Cory Spangenburg had a pair of RBI, which was the difference for the Friars in the series opener. Yansmani Grandal and Jedd Gyorko each had two hits in the winning effort to get the series off on the right foot for Bud Black and the boys.

Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Cuban right hander Odrisamer Despaigne (3-5, 3.24 ERA) pitches on Tuesday against Wade Miley (7-10, 4.30 ERA). Despaigne started against the Diamondbacks last month and got the loss, going 5 innings and allowing 3 runs. He also faced Arizona in June and got the win, pitching 6.2 innings and only allowing one run. Despaigne has struggled in the last month but has shown he can bounce back from rough outings.

Miley has 11 career starts against San Diego, tied for the most against any team in his career. He has not fared well, with a 1-6 record and a 4.96 ERA. He has faced the Padres twice already this year and has not gotten a decision. He has allowed 6 runs in 14 innings.

The rookie David Peralta is another good hitter for Arizona. In fact, he may be a dark hose Rookie of the Year candidate. He is hitting .289 with 8 triples and a .461 slugging percentage. He is hitting .350 against the Padres in 20 at-bats this year.

Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The ace Andrew Cashner (2-6, 2.37 ERA) starts off Game 3 for San Diego against Josh Collmenter (9-7, 3.94 ERA). Cashner started against Arizona two weeks ago when he returned from a long stint on the disabled list. He pitched 5 innings and allowed two runs in the no-decision. In 7 career starts against the D-backs, he is with 3-1 with a 3.66 ERA.

Collmenter has faced the Padres twice this year, earning the win both times and only allowing one earned run. He has a 2.98 career ERA against the Padres. He has struggled on the road this year. In 9 starts, he has a 6.04 ERA and a 2-4 record.

Aaron Hill has caused problems for San Diego in the past, as he has had multi-hit games in each of the series he has appeared in against San Diego this year. He has 10 home runs and 57 RBI as the Arizona second baseman. He was 2-for-5 with a run scored in his last game against the Friars.