Diamondbacks at Padres
Nothing has come easy for the Arizona Diamondbacks this season as they continue their 10-game road trip with the second of three against the San Diego Padres on Saturday. Arizona seemed headed for its fifth loss in six games Friday when San Diego put runners on second and third with nobody out in the ninth inning against Brad Ziegler, but the closer wiggled out of trouble to extend his club record for consecutive saves to 30 in the Diamondbacks' 3-2 victory.
Arizona (4-7), which is 2-2 on its trek despite scoring 10 runs during that span, hopes to get Paul Goldschmidt (.200, three home runs, nine RBIs) going again as the slugger is hitless in his last 11 at-bats. The Padres (3-8) are struggling worse at the plate as they have scored three runs during a four-game losing streak and seven in eight games not played at Coors Field this season. San Diego's Alexi Amarista, who is 7-for-15 this season since being recalled from Triple-A El Paso on Sunday, had two hits Friday before striking out in the ninth inning. The Diamondbacks' Shelby Miller tries to rectify a situation in which he has permitted five home runs in two starts after yielding 13 all of last year and opposes Andrew Cashner, who owns a career ERA of 3.01 in April.
TV: 8:40 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona, FSN San Diego
PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks RH Shelby Miller (0-1, 8.18 ERA) vs. Padres RH Andrew Cashner (0-1, 8.00)
Miller received a no-decision after allowing four runs and seven hits — two homers — in five innings of a 7-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. "It's been rough,'' the 25-year-old Texan, who could benefit from a turn at spacious Petco Park against a struggling offense, told reporters. Miller is 1-1 with 3.90 ERA in five games (four starts) versus San Diego, including 1-1, 4.30 ERA in three appearances (two starts) at Petco.
Cashner received a no-decision after allowing three runs and seven hits in five innings of a 4-3 victory in Philadelphia on Monday. The 29-year-old Texan yielded five runs and six hits in four innings of his season opener — a 7-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 6 — and struck out five in each of his first two appearances. Cashner is 5-5 with a 3.26 ERA in 17 games (13 starts) versus Arizona — 2-3, 2.90 in five turns last season — and has issues with Goldschmidt (7-for-23, home run, five RBIs, six strikeouts).
WALK-OFFS
1. Diamondbacks 2B Jean Segura (.366) had his nine-game hitting streak versus the Padres halted after going 0-for-3 on Friday.
2. San Diego is 0-4 at home, including a three-game sweep to start the season when it was outscored 25-0 by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
3. Arizona C Welington Castillo belted the 2,999th home run in franchise history Friday — a solo shot in the second inning for his first of the season.