Padres at Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks have had their way against a number of pitching staffs already in 2017, although the San Diego Padres did about as good of a job as any team in keeping the best offense in the majors in check when they met last week. The Diamondbacks continue their 10-game homestand against National League West rivals on Monday, when the host the Padres for the first of four contests.
Despite Sunday's 6-2 setback against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field, Arizona is an NL-best 8-2 at home and has scored 74 of its major league-high 105 runs at the venue. The Diamondbacks were gifted four unearned runs - matching the number of errors the Padres committed - in Tuesday's 11-2 victory at San Diego, but they mustered only one more run over the final two meetings en route to losing the series. Jhoulys Chacin fired eight scoreless innings for the Padres to outduel Arizona's Zack Greinke in Wednesday's 1-0 victory to spark a three-game winning streak, and the two right-handers will square off again to begin this series. The Padres are only 3-8 on the road, however, and are coming off consecutive home losses to Miami, including Sunday's 7-3 defeat.
TV: 9:40 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FSN San Diego, FSN Arizona
PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Jhoulys Chacin (2-2, 4.70 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks RH Zack Greinke (1-2, 3.28)
Chacin enjoyed his finest outing as a Padre on Wednesday, getting the win after allowing only three singles and a walk while striking out five. The 29-year-old Venezuelan has yet to give up a run in 14 2/3 frames at home, but he has been tagged for 12 earned runs over only 8 1/3 innings in a pair of road losses. Chacin is 6-3 with a 2.74 ERA in 15 career appearances (14 starts) versus the Diamondbacks, including a 2-3 mark and 2.83 ERA in eight turns at Chase Field.
Greinke logged his first complete game of the season opposite Chacin, but he took the loss on Wednesday despite permitting only a solo homer by Erick Aybar among the five hits he allowed. The former Cy Young Award winner was coming off his worst effort of the season five days earlier, when he yielded five runs and 10 hits in five frames against the Dodgers. Greinke has fared very well in 17 starts versus the Padres, however, going 8-2 with a 1.96 ERA and 0.86 WHIP.
WALK-OFFS
1. Arizona 1B Paul Goldschmidt has recorded 16 home runs - his second-highest total against any opponent - and 17 stolen bases - his most versus any foe - in 91 career meetings with the Padres.
2. San Diego C Austin Hedges is one of only two backstops in team history to homer five times in seven games (Terry Kennedy, 1983). He is hitting .303 with two doubles, five blasts and 10 RBIs over his last nine contests.
3. The Diamondbacks lead the majors in batting average (.316), on-base percentage (.376) and runs per game (7.4) at home this season.