Deadlocked at sub-.500 marks, two National League West rivals, the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres, clash in a high-stakes four-game series. It's set to determine who gains ground before the break.
Knowing this is a four-game series, there's a world where the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres still have the same record after Thursday, July 9.
Currently, both teams are 44-45. Being one game below .500 before the All-Star break isn't ideal, but it's also not the end of the world.
First place isn't out of the question, but it's going to take quite a bit for either of these teams to gain ground on the Los Angeles Dodgers. With just two series remaining before the end of the first half, the back-to-back World Series Champions are a commanding 59-32 which is good for a 14.0-game lead in the National League West.
Monday, July 6
Brandon Pfaadt (1-1, 5.40 ERA) vs. Walker Buehler (5-4, 4.61 ERA)
Pfaadt is set to make his fifth start of the year, and he's coming off an all-around terrific effort against the fourth place San Francisco Giants. Pfaadt went 5.1 innings in his latest start and picked up his first win of the season.
The lone run he allowed came on a solo homer, but other than that he allowed just a pair of hits, striking out two, and walking one in the process.
As for Buehler, the Diamondbacks need to be ready to pounce. He's coming off one of the worst starts of his entire career, one that saw him give up nine earned runs on seven hits in 4.0 innings. Buehler walked four batters in that game and allowed three home runs.
Tuesday, July 7
Zac Gallen (3-8, 6.36 ERA) vs. TBD
The only starter of the series that has yet to be revealed is in game two for the Padres. San Diego knows they'll have a chance to exploit Gallen, a struggling veteran who this team desperately needs to get back on track.
Wednesday, July 8
Jose Cabrera (0-1, 4.73 ERA) vs. Michael King (5-7, 3.52 ERA)
The age old rookie vs. veteran pitching duel will go down in game three. Cabrera is coming off his shortest start yet as he went just 3.1 innings on Friday, July 3.
King certainly hasn't been great either, but he just had a solid six-inning effort to kick off the month of July. The 31-year-old would love to erase June, a month that saw him go 1-3 and allow three or more runs in four of his five starts.
Thursday, July 9
Merrill Kelly (6-8, 5.71 ERA) vs. Griffin Canning (1-6, 6.71 ERA)
These two combine for just 103 strikeouts which proves that those will come at a premium in the series finale. Kelly has been a slightly better version of Gallen, but it's not like the Padres have gotten much out of Canning either. This final game is an absolute toss-up as it just depends which version of these pitchers will show up.
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