Arizona @ San Diego preview
Petco Park
Last Meeting ( Apr 18, 2010 ) Arizona 3, San Diego 5
One of the most surprising teams in baseball in the first half of the season, the San Diego Padres start their drive to show they are no fluke when they open a three-game series Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
San Diego enters the second half of the season 14 games over .500 and with a two-game lead in the National League West.
Through much of the first half of the season, baseball observers were waiting for the wheels to come off the Padres and for the Los Angeles Dodgers and possibly the Colorado Rockies to make a claim to the top spot in the division.
Hasn't happened.
First baseman Adrian Gonzalez is a huge reason why, and instead of being one of the most sought-after players at the trade deadline, it looks like the Padres will be buyers and try to give Gonzalez and the offense some help.
Gonzalez is doing it all for the Padres, leading the team in every major offensive category. He is hitting .301 with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs. The next closest teammates in homers and RBIs are Will Venable with eight and 32 and the Hairston boys - Scott has eight homers and Jerry has 32 RBIs.
Jon Garland (8-6, 3.56 ERA) gets the start for the Padres. He is coming off a rough outing and should benefit from pitching at home.
Garland is 4-1 with a 2.62 ERA in nine home starts this season. In his last outing he allowed six runs and eight hits, including three home runs, in six innings of a 7-6 loss in Washington.
While San Diego has much to play for, Arizona is just playing out the string and trying to build some much-needed momentum for next season.
The Diamondbacks are 3-7 this month and split a four-game series with the Florida Marlins before the All-Star break. They are the only team in the NL West that is under .500, sitting 17 1/2 games behind San Diego,
The Diamondbacks have at least been somewhat competitive at home, posting a 21-25 record, but they have been toothless on the road. Their 13-30 record away from home ties them for the second-fewest road wins with Baltimore, just behind the dreadful Pittsburgh Pirates.
Dan Haren (7-7, 4.36) tries to get the Diamondbacks a rare road win, and it would be even rarer for it to come against a division foe as Arizona is just 10-22 against the NL West this season.
Haren has not had a win since June 12 when he beat the St. Louis Cardinals. In the five starts since, he is 0-3. He has had success against the Padres, going 5-1 against them for his career in 13 games, including 12 starts.