San Diego @ Arizona preview
Chase Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 28, 2011 ) San Diego 1, Arizona 6
THE STORY: The San Diego Padres were officially eliminated from the National League West race on Wednesday, but they’ll still have a voice in the division’s outcome. The Padres can play spoiler on Thursday when they begin a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The Diamondbacks are seven games ahead of the San Francisco Giants with 19 to play. Arizona has won seven of the 11 meetings against the Padres this season.
TV: 9:40 p.m. ET, Channel 4SD, Fox Sports Arizona
PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres LH Cory Luebke (5-8, 3.29 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks RH Ian Kennedy (18-4, 2.96 ERA)
Luebke, who gave up five runs over 4 1/3 innings against Colorado last Saturday, is 0-2 with a 6.57 ERA in four career games against the Diamondbacks. The Padres are 0-4 in his last four starts against teams from their own division.
Kennedy became the National League’s first 18-game winner last Saturday against the Giants. He is 4-0 with a 2.19 ERA in six career starts against the Padres. As a team, the Diamondbacks are 5-0 in Kennedy’s last five home starts.
ABOUT THE PADRES (62-81): The Giants will be huge Padres fans over the next two weeks. Seven of the Padres' next 10 games are against Arizona, but the Padres’ all-time record at Chase Field is 37-80. Rookie infielder Logan Forsythe will have season-ending knee surgery Thursday to repair his left meniscus. Forsythe batted .213 in 62 games this season, but he recorded a hit in 14 of his final 24 games. He’ll likely serve as a utilityman for the Padres next year. Will Venable homered to lead off Wednesday’s game, and his five leadoff homers this season are tied with Milwaukee's Corey Hart for second in the majors this season. His five leadoff home runs are also a Padres' record. Venable entered the season with high expectations, but he’s batting just .253 with six home runs and 35 RBIs. Aaron Harang improved to 13-5 while limiting the Giants to one run over seven innings on Wednesday. The 13 wins are Harang’s most since 2007.
ABOUT THE DIAMONDBACKS (82-61): Arizona is playing like a team of destiny, and the club's offense continues to be the envy of the division. Aaron Hill extended his hitting streak to 10 games Wednesday, and he’s 19-for-40 during that span. Catcher Miguel Montero’s career-high 15-game hitting streak is the longest by a catcher this season. Montero is 20-for-58 with 15 RBIs during his streak, and he blasted a two-run homer on Wednesday. Willie Bloomquist has hit safely in seven straight games while going 11-for-28. Not to be ignored, Justin Upton went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored on Wednesday. His 28th home run was his second in three games, and he’s batting .298 with 83 RBIs. Arizona’s bullpen is also a key part of this season’s success. The Diamondbacks’ streak of 20 consecutive save conversions was snapped Tuesday when David Hernandez allowed five earned runs, but that was the team’s first failed save conversion since the All-Star break.
FINAL PITCH: The Diamondbacks have played the fourth-easiest schedule in baseball, based on ESPN.com’s rankings.