Arizona @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Jun 16, 2011 ) San Francisco 2, Arizona 3

THE STORY: With the way both the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants currently are playing, there could be a new leader in the National League West when their three-game series at AT&T Park is over. Arizona's victory at Los Angeles on Sunday was its 10th in 15 games. The Diamondbacks are 4-2 on their nine-game road trip and sit just two games behind first-place San Francisco in the West. The Giants, who begin a 10-game homestand Monday, lost three straight to Cincinnati, marking the fifth time this year they have been swept in a series.

TV: 10:15 p.m. ET, FSN (Arizona), CSN Bay Area (San Francisco)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks RH Ian Kennedy (12-3, 3.22 ERA) vs. Giants RH Matt Cain (9-6, 2.91 ERA).

Kennedy has won each of his last four starts, including a 4-3 triumph at San Diego on Wednesday in which he allowed two runs and struck out nine in six innings. The 26-year-old has pitched at least seven innings a team-high 12 times in 22 outings this season. Kennedy is 1-2 with a 1.81 ERA in seven career starts against San Francisco and has allowed an unearned run and struck out 18 over 16 innings in two meetings this year without recording a decision.

Cain is coming off a strong performance at Philadelphia on Wednesday, when he yielded an unearned run in seven innings. He has allowed one earned run or less in eight of his last 11 starts. Cain, who needs seven strikeouts to move into 11th place on the franchise list, is 9-4 lifetime against Arizona including a 3-0 mark this year.

ABOUT THE GIANTS (61-47): OF Carlos Beltran has gone just 2-for-17 (.118) in four games since being acquired from the New York Mets on Thursday. His single on Sunday was one of just three hits by San Francisco in a 9-0 loss to Cincinnati. SS Orlando Cabrera went 0-for-3 in his Giants debut after being acquired from Cleveland on Saturday. Cabrera batted .244 with four homers and 38 RBIs in 91 games with the Indians. Rookie Brandon Crawford, who hit .190 with two blasts and 17 RBIs in 50 contests, was optioned to Triple-A Fresno to make room for Cabrera.

ABOUT THE DIAMONDBACKS (59-49): OF Gerardo Parra recorded his first career two-homer performance in Sunday's triumph while Justin Upton extended his hitting streak to 12 games. A day after adding Jason Marquis to its starting rotation, Arizona acquired RHP Brad Ziegler from Oakland for LHP Jordan Norberto and 1B Brandon Allen. Ziegler went 3-2 with one save and a 2.39 ERA in 43 games with the Athletics this year and did not allow a home run in 37 2/3 innings.

FINAL PITCH: Arizona has lost seven of its first nine meetings with San Francisco this season. In their last series at AT&T Park from May 10-12, the Diamondbacks dropped three one-run decisions, scoring a total of five runs.