San Diego @ Arizona preview

Last Meeting ( May 25, 2013 ) San Diego 10, Arizona 4

The Arizona Diamondbacks are back in a three-way tie for first in the National League West heading into the finale of their three-game series Sunday against the visiting San Diego Padres. The Diamondbacks first locked up with the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies atop the standings Wednesday. The Padres have yet to reach .500 this season but can pull within three games with a win Sunday and take a series against Arizona for the second time this month.

Padres shortstop Everth Cabrera is 5-for-10 in the series with two home runs and five RBIs. He has four home runs this season after hitting five in his first four seasons with San Diego. Padres catcher Nick Hundley started the month 2-for-40 but has four hits in his last 10 at-bats. Arizona third baseman Eric Chavez continues to have one of the best starts of his career. He’s hitting .336 with six home runs, more than he totaled in four of the last five seasons. The 16-year-veteran has never hit better than .288 in a full season.

TV: 4:10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports San Diego, Fox Sports Arizona

PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Jason Marquis (6-2, 3.27 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks LH Patrick Corbin (7-0, 1.44)

Marquis has won his last five starts, becoming the first San Diego pitcher since Woody Williams in 2006 to accomplish that feat. Marquis was traded from the Washington Nationals to the Diamondbacks on July 30, 2011, but lasted only two weeks before he suffered a season-ending fractured fibula off a comebacker. The Padres signed him to a minor-league contract last May. Marquis hasn’t had much luck against the Diamondbacks in his career, owning a 3-7 record and a 4.31 ERA. He is 0-4 at Chase Field with 13 home runs allowed in 65 innings. Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero has gone deep three times in 16 career at-bats against Marquis.

Corbin is the second pitcher to begin a season with nine straight starts of at least six innings without allowing more than two earned runs in any of the appearances. Ubaldo Jimenez of the Rockies was the other in 2010. Corbin may have delivered his best performance in his last outing, throwing his first career complete game while allowing one run, three hits and striking out a season-high 10 in a 5-1 victory against the Rockies. He has allowed three earned runs in 29 1/3 innings this month for an ERA of 0.92. One of those starts came May 4 against the Padres, when he allowed one run and five hits in seven innings of an 8-1 victory.

WALK-OFFS

1. Arizona committed two errors Saturday but still have the fewest in the majors this season (17).

2. Diamondbacks SS Didi Gregorius has 11 multi-hit games this season and nine games with one hit.

3. Padres RHP Tyson Ross has allowed one earned run in 11 innings since moving to the bullpen May 11.

PREDICTION: Diamondbacks 4, Padres 2