San Diego @ Arizona preview
Chase Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 9, 2011 ) San Diego 2, Arizona 3
THE STORY: The Diamondbacks will celebrate their 2001 World Series-winning team this weekend - and that's not the only thing fans will be revelling in as Arizona hosts the San Diego Padres on Saturday. The Diamondbacks have won a franchise-record 14 straight home games to move 8 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco in the National League West, while San Diego has lost 13 of its last 15 games.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, Channel 4SD, Fox Sports Arizona
PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Tim Stauffer (8-12, 3.83 ERA) at Diamondbacks LH Wade Miley (3-1, 3.52 ERA)
Stauffer is 2-6 with a 6.34 ERA over his last nine starts. He gave up four runs over six innings on last Monday, and he’s given up 12 home runs in his last six starts. Stauffer is 0-2 with a 2.25 ERA in nine career games – three starts – against Arizona.
Miley, who gave up two runs over seven innings last Monday against the Rockies, has won three straight starts with a 1.89 ERA during that span. Named the Diamondbacks' minor-league pitcher of the year last season, Wiley was promoted from Triple-A Reno on Aug. 16.
ABOUT THE PADRES (62-83): San Diego has a laundry list of offseason priorities, but signing center fielder Cameron Maybin to a long-term contract extension might be the most critical. Maybin isn’t arbitration eligible until after the 2012 season, but the Padres could make him the cornerstone of the team’s rebuilding effort by signing him to a long-term deal. Maybin leads the Padres with career highs in runs (72) and steals (35), and his stellar defense in center field has made him a Gold Glove candidate. Shortstop Jason Bartlett, who has 23 steals and leads the Padres with 126 hits this season, will likely return next season since he’ll still be under contract. However, Bartlett is batting just. 250 with 35 RBIs this year, and he’s not the team’s long-range answer at shortstop. The Padres don’t have any top prospects at the position in their farm system, so they’ll likely need to trade for one next year.
ABOUT THE DIAMONDBACKS (84-61): Set to win their first division title since 2007, the Diamondbacks now have their sights on the No. 2 seed in the National League playoffs. Arizona is one-half game behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the race for the second seed, which gets home-field advantage in the first round. The second seed would also likely face Atlanta instead of Philadelphia in the first round. Arizona’s pitchers won’t be easy outs in the playoffs. They lead the majors with 52 hits and 32 RBIs, and Daniel Hudson has 17 hits and 14 RBIs. After hitting 30 homers at Double-A Mobile earlier this season, rookie Paul Goldschmidt blasted his seventh home run for the Diamondbacks on Thursday. Goldschmidt has hit in nine of his last 13 games while batting .292 (14-for-48). The Diamondbacks bullpen continues to be a key part of the team’s success this season after recording a total of 35 saves last year. J.J. Putz and David Hernandez have combined for 49 saves this season.
FINAL PITCH: Arizona pitching prospect Jarrod Parker gave up two runs and struck out six over six innings Friday for Double-A Mobile in a Southern League playoff game.