Arizona @ San Diego preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 25, 2015 ) Arizona 6, San Diego 3

The Arizona Diamondbacks robbed the San Diego Padres of whatever chance they had of finishing over .500 in their last time out. The Padres look to pay back the Diamondbacks in kind by making sure Arizona can do no better than the break-even mark and claim the season series Saturday when the National League West rivals continue their three-game set in San Diego.

The Padres (72-82) entered this series with wins in three of their previous four to temporarily put off their fifth consecutive losing season, but Arizona scored all of its runs in the first two innings to ruin Casey Kelly's first big-league start in nearly three years en route to a 6-3 win. A.J. Pollock continued his breakout season with his first grand slam and a career-high five RBIs, giving him 19 homers and 75 RBIs for the season. The Diamondbacks (74-80) also held off San Diego for third place in the division with the victory, but must win their remaining eight games if they hope to finish above .500 for the first time since 2011. Arizona also must get a sweep this weekend to avoid losing the season series to the Padres after winning 12 of their 19 meetings last year.
TV: 8:40 p.m. ET, FSN Arizona, FSN San Diego

PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks RH Jeremy Hellickson (9-10, 4.73 ERA) vs. Padres LH Robbie Erlin (0-1, 21.00)
Hellickson lost for the second time in as many turns since coming off the disabled list due to a hamstring injury, yielding two runs in five frames during Sunday’s 5-1 setback at San Francisco. The 28-year-old Iowa native was roughed up for five runs (three earned) in an inning of work six days earlier during a 37-pitch outing against San Diego. Hellickson, who has made five of his six career starts versus the Padres this season, is 1-3 with an 8.31 ERA against them and has struggled to retire Justin Upton (5-for-11, two homers).
Erlin had a forgettable season debut last Saturday, getting roughed up for seven runs on nine hits and a walk over three innings en route to a 10-2 loss at Colorado. The third-round selection in the 2009 draft didn’t fare much better in the minors prior to his promotion, going 7-6 with a 5.60 ERA in 24 turns with Triple-A El Paso. Erlin was dominant in his only two career starts against Arizona in 2013, however, posting a 1-0 record and 2.08 ERA with a 0.92 WHIP and .196 batting average against.

WALK-OFFS
1. Diamondbacks 1B Paul Goldschmidt needs one more RBI to tie Chris Young (408) for fourth place on the club's all-time RBI list while Padres RF Matt Kemp needs one more RBI to become the 14th player in franchise history with 100.
2. San Diego 3B Yangervis Solarte (right hamstring cramp), who is batting .300 against Arizona the season, sat out the opener but could return Saturday.
3. Diamondbacks closer Brad Ziegler's 26 straight saves is the longest active streak in the majors and two shy of matching J.J. Putz’s club record for consecutive saves.

PREDICTION: Diamondbacks 6, Padres 5