Arizona @ San Diego preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 29, 2018 ) Arizona 5, San Diego 4

The Arizona Diamondbacks still sit atop the National League West despite having lost three of the first five contests on their nine-game road trip. Arizona hopes to expand its division lead when it visits the San Diego Padres on Thursday for the opener of their four-game series.

The Diamondbacks own a 1 1/2-game lead over Colorado and are coming off a 6-4 victory at Texas on Tuesday in which Paul Goldschmidt and Jon Jay each recorded two hits and an RBI. Goldschmidt kicked off his third straight multi-hit performance with his 27th home run, which extended his hitting streak to eight games - a stretch during which he has gone 14-for-37. San Diego looks to bounce back from a three-game sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels, which dropped it to 2-4 on its 10-game homestand. Cory Spangenberg recorded one of the Padres' four hits in Wednesday's 3-2 setback, a solo homer that improved him to 3-for-5 with two walks over his last two contests.

TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, FS Arizona, FS San Diego

PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks RH Clay Buchholz (5-2, 2.67 ERA) vs. Padres RH Jacob Nix (1-0, 0.00)

Buchholz had his string of five consecutive victories snapped on Friday, when he took the loss at Cincinnati after allowing three runs - two earned - and eight hits in a season high-tying seven innings. It was the first setback since May 26 at Oakland for the 34-year-old Texan, who had won each of his previous four turns. Buchholz has won each of his two career starts against the Padres, including an outing at San Diego on July 29 in which he gave up three runs on six hits and three walks over 5 2/3 frames.

Nix is coming off an impressive major-league debut as he scattered four hits over six scoreless innings in a triumph over Philadelphia on Friday. The 22-year-old Californian issued two walks and registered four strikeouts while throwing 63 of his 88 pitches for strikes as he became the first Padre to work at least six scoreless frames in his debut since Odrisamer Despaigne on June 23, 2014. Nix went 2-3 with a 2.05 ERA in nine starts for Double-A San Antonio this season and tossed six scoreless innings en route to victory in his lone outing with Triple-A El Paso before being recalled.

WALK-OFFS

1. Padres 1B Eric Hosmer has hit safely in 18 of his last 21 games but has belted just one homer over his last 25 contests.

2. Arizona INF Daniel Descalso drove in two runs on Tuesday, giving him five RBIs in his last three games.

3. San Diego on Wednesday released RHP Phil Hughes, who was designated for assignment five days earlier after surrendering 14 runs over 20 2/3 innings in 16 relief appearances this year.

PREDICTION: Diamondbacks 6, Padres 1