April was, yet again, a frustrating month for Padres and fans. But hopefully an off day and a new month will help the team get on its feet and back into the thick of the NL West race. And a good way to ease back into that race will be in this weekend's series at home against the Diamondbacks, who own the worst record (9-22) and worst starting pitcher ERA (6.29) in the league this season.

Our Padres fell to three games under .500 and 4 1/2 games out of first place after back-to-back losses in San Francisco. Andrew Cashner is also coming off back-to-back losses and will try to get back in the win column tonight in the series opener against Arizona. His two road losses to the Brewers and Nationals have been his worst outings of the year. In each start, he gave up four earned runs in six innings of work. In his four starts to begin the season he had posted a 1.27 ERA. Cashner is 3-0 in seven appearances (five starts) against the Dbacks since joining the Padres in 2011. He won both of his starts against them last year, though he surrendered a combined seven runs.

We just have to hope that the offense can provide some deserved run support, which we all know they've struggled with all season. Tonight they'll face Bronson Arroyo, who's coming off his best start of the year. He kept the Phillies to two runs in 6 1/3 innings of work. The right-hander is just 1-0 on the season, though he's gotten considerably more run support than Cashner. His sole victory of the year came with a seven-run showing by the Arizona offense and on two other occasions he received five runs of support. His first season with the Dbacks hasn't gotten off to a very good start, but he has some recent success against the Padres to build on tonight. In his last five starts against San Diego, he is 3-0 with a 2.18 ERA. Career-wise at Petco Park, he's pitched to the tune of a 2.13 ERA in six appearances, including a couple of complete games. If the Padres continue to struggle at the plate, tonight's outing in San Diego could be a confidence booster to help him start to turn his season around.

See if the Padres can get their May started on a high note tonight as they take the field at 7:10 PDT.

Since Bronson Arroyo is starting for the Diamondbacks against the Padres tonight, I thought I'd take a look-see at how current Padres have fared against him. He's been around forever, so I figured at least a few of the veteran guys would have a somewhat substantial history with him.

Yonder Alonso: 1-8, BB
Alexi Amarista: 1-10, BB, K
Everth Cabrera: 4-12, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K
Andrew Cashner: 0-2, 2 K
Yasmani Grandal: 1-3, 2 K
Jedd Gyorko: 1-3, K
Nick Hundley: 5-10, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 K
Cameron Maybin: 1-10, RBI, 2 BB, K
Xavier Nady: 7-25, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 K
Seth Smith: 5-16, HR, 3 RBI
Will Venable: 5-15, 2B, RBI, BB, HBP

Chris Denorfia, Jace Peterson, and Rene Rivera have yet to face Arroyo, but the Padres who have stepped in against him are split nearly down the middle between owning and being owned. Alonso, Amarista, Cashner, and Maybin are a collective 3-for-30 with four strikeouts and no extra-base hits; Cabrera, Hundley, Nady, Smith, and Venable have gone 33-for-93 (.354) with five doubles, four homers, and 12 RBI.

Of all days for the Padres to be facing someone Nick Hundley has raked, of course it's on a night when Rene Rivera is practically guaranteed the start due to Cashner starting. Welp, as Bud Black likes to say, that's baseball.

The offense struggled to support a great start yet again.

Well, there's not a whole lot you can say about a game like this. Diamondbacks starter Bronson Arroyo started the day with an ERA of 7.77. That should mean an easy win, especially with Andrew Cashner on the mound for the Padres. And yet the sum total of the offense were three singles by Jedd Gyorko, Yonder Alonso, and Nick Hundley, with a walk drawn by Alexi Amarista thrown in for good measure. And that's how Andrew Cashner gets the loss on another great start. If you're looking for some upside tonight, Tim Stauffer tossed two fantastic innings while sporting an incredibly sexy beard. And then there was this brilliant play where Everth Cabrera robbed Ender Inciarte from picking up his first big league hit.

Ian Kennedy takes the mound tomorrow against Twitter funnyman Brandon McCarthy at 5:40 PM. It's beach towel night, so expect traffic if you're heading down to the game.

recorddigger had the most comments tonight. I think Jodes led the recs, but I can't say for sure because it's late and I'm not doing math.

Not only was Chris Cannizzaro an original Padre, he was the team's first All-Star. It wasn't as much a celebration of his achievements as it was an indictment of the inaugural team as a whole, since he hit .220 with four homers in 134 games that year. He settled into a backup role with the Padres over the next season and a half before heading to the Cubs and Dodgers' benches for a few years. Cannizzaro spent most of 1974 in AAA for Houston before being reacquired by San Diego on August 1. He got into 26 games, hit below the yet-to-be-named Mendoza Line for the second year in a row, and that was the end of the road.

He's pictured here on his 1975 Topps card, which was issued after he played his final game. The '75 design is one of the most iconic and celebrated in Topps' long history. In an unprecedented anomaly, each team was not assigned one set color scheme on all their card fronts. The funky (and I mean that in the best possible way) combinations were seemingly both random and endless, but the yellow and powder blue that Cannizzaro got is my favorite pairing, with the pink team name as a bonus.

The back features his complete career stats, along with the typical biographical information you find on the back of a baseball card, including the one bit that is of particular relevance today: his date of birth.

Happy seventy-sixth birthday, Mr. Cannizzaro! Here's to 76 more years.

As I've gotten into the habit of doing each series the Padres play, I dusted off Baseball-Reference's multi-franchise tool, checked out the list of guys who have played for both the Padres and Diamondbacks, and constructed a 25-man roster. As usual, I went with career and peak numbers as opposed to how each player did with one team or the other, although from time to time I'll let my personal fandom take over and start Joey Cora over a Hall-of-Famer or omit Jack Clark altogether because screw that guy, that's why.

This was one of the easier teams to put together since there were so few bodies to choose from. Since the D-backs came into existence in 1998, the two teams have shared just 49 players, so I only had to trim less than half.

Starting lineup:

C- Henry Blanco
1B- Tony Clark
2B- Roberto Alomar
SS- David Eckstein
3B- Jeff Cirillo
LF- Carlos Quentin
CF- Steve Finley
RF- Reggie Sanders

It's never a good sign when Henry Blanco is your starting catcher, but there was exactly zero starting catchers to choose from and he was the best of the backups. Despite playing second base for the Friars, Eckstein gets penciled in at shortstop since that's where he started everywhere else. That, and there were no other shortstops in the mix. As for Alomar and Finley, they're both going to keep cropping up in these combined teams since they were so good and so well-traveled.

Bench:

C- Wil Nieves
1B/3B/OF- Russell Branyan
IF- Carlos Baerga
OF/2B- Scott Hairston
OF- Jose Cruz, Jr.

Xavier Nady and Geoff Blum were tough to leave off, but there was just no room for them. Too bad neither of them can catch.

Starting rotation:

Andy Benes
Ian Kennedy
Jon Garland
Jeff Suppan
Jason Marquis

It's not the most intimidating bunch of guys, but you've got to go with what you're given. The only other starter available is Shawn Estes, who falls short of even Marquis in both peak and overall numbers.

Bullpen:

Heath Bell
Joe Thatcher
Tim Worrell
Chad Qualls
Matt Herges
Craig Breslow
Micah Owings

As with the starters, this is another largely unimpressive, yet slightly better-than-average group. Heath Bell makes the team on the strength of his days in San Diego; Arizona fans don't remember him as fondly as we do. Micah Owings doesn't have that glowing of a track record, but I gave him the nod due to his double-versatility; he can relieve and spot start as well as play in the field and pinch-hit when the need should arise. That, and I just like him. Hey, it's my team.

That said, who would be on your team?

Twenty-nine different Padres have hit 30 or more doubles in a season a total of 55 times. Eleven of those 29 did it more than once; for the first hint I've listed how many seasons each player has under his belt. The second hint, which will likely be the more helpful of the two, is which year(s) they did the deed.

Once you're through, don't forget to log your results in the poll below. Feel encouraged to use the comments section to discuss the ones you got, the ones you missed, the ones you thought would be there but weren't, or anything relevant to the quiz. Just be sure to utilize the spoiler-alert black-bar feature over players' names so the quiz doesn't get ruined for anyone who hasn't taken it yet. It's happened before and isn't hard to prevent, so be respectful.

Now that all that's out of the way, it's time for bidness. Go!

Bronson Arroyo dominated the Padres for 7 innings. The D'backs have now won 2 straight.

Quotables

"I've had a rough patch the last couple of weeks," Campana said. "I think it's just getting down there and figuring it out at the plate a little bit. I think that's it. Just start swinging it a little better and hopefully come back."

- Tony Campana on being sent to Reno

"They're not stupid; they know that we're talking to people, we're considering every option," Hall said. "It's tough on them, and again, at this time I want to focus on these two and say what a professional job they've done.

- Derrick Hall on Kirk Gibson and Kevin Towers

Daily Dbacks

Bronson Arroyo's gem leads Diamondbacks past Padres - azcentral

Bronson Arroyo and two relievers held the punchless San Diego Padres to three hits and Aaron Hill hit a two-run single to lead the iamondbacks to a 2-0 victory Friday night in a matchup of the bottom two teams in the NL West.

Healthy Arroyo blanks Padres in rivals' first meeting | dbacks.com

Finally over his health problems Bronson Arroyo on Friday pitched the way the D-backs hoped he would when they signed him this spring. Arroyo tossed seven shutout innings as the D-backs beat the Padres, 2-0, at Petco Park.

Arroyo, D-backs shut down Padres for second straight win | FOX Sports

Bronson Arroyo and two relievers held the punchless San Diego Padres to three hits and Aaron Hill hit a two-run single to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 2-0 victory Friday night in a matchup of the bottom two teams in the NL West.

Inciarte's debut delayed by flight problems; D'backs call up Marte; Worth nothing | dbacks.com: News

Inciarte got the call Wednesday to report to Phoenix for that night's D-backs-Rockies game, but his flight was delayed twice, then cancelled and his next flight was delayed, too. With outfielder Ender Inciarte being added to the roster the D-backs decided that outfielder Tony Campana, who possesses the same skillset, was expendable. So Campana was optioned to Triple-A Reno and the team called up outfielder Alfredo Marte to provide some added power off the bench.

Chris Owings is bright spot in rough start for Diamondbacks - azcentral

There have not been many positives for the Diamondbacks through the season's first 30-plus games, but Owings is one. He has swung the bat well, run the bases with smart aggression and has been a mostly reliable defender at a critical position.

D-Backs one of April's biggest surprises MLB surprises - CBSSports.com

Arizona is the biggest surprise of of the month as it has played its way out already, to the point where Kirk Gibson is the first manager on the hot seat.

Anderson, Drury win D-backs' monthly minor league honors | FOX Sports

The Diamondbacks on Friday named Double-A Mobile pitcher Chase Anderson and Single-A Advanced Visalia infielder Brandon Drury the organization's minor league pitcher and player of the month, respectively, for April.

Diamondbacks president: 'We're talking to people, we're considering every option'

Arizona Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall understands that Wednesday's come-from-behind-walk-off-win over the Colorado Rockies does not mean the team's season is about to turn around. Naturally he hopes that's the case, but one win -- no matter how dramatic and exciting -- does not erase the previous month, which was by all accounts a disaster. That's why many people thought a loss Wednesday could have been the final nail in the proverbial coffin for manager Kirk Gibson or general manager Kevin Towers -- or both. So did Miguel Montero's 10th-inning home run save their jobs?

Around the MLB

David DeJesus Eats Ice Cream in Dugout in 14th Inning | Bleacher Report

And it just so happens that the Rays scored 5 runs that inning.

Pedroia hits 100th career homer. | MLB.com

The Cuban right-hander is expected to join the Padres at some point this season.

The San Diego Padres have completed their deal with Cuban right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne, as first reported by Corey Brock of MLB.com. The deal, which was delayed by a physical and visa approval after being reported as close in early April, is a minor league deal that will guarantee Despaigne a $1 million bonus.

According to a source close to Despaigne, the 27-year old will head to extended spring training in Peoria before joining the Padres' Double-A affiliate in San Antonio. He is expected to join the major league club by the end of the season once he builds up arm strength in the minor leagues.

San Diego's rotation has posted a 3.96 ERA, good enough for 17th in the majors through just over a month of play. The Padres have been hurt by the losses of Cory Luebke and Josh Johnson, who both need Tommy John surgery, so the low-risk addition of Despaigne provides depth.

Despaigne, who also drew some interest from the Diamondbacks and Twins since becoming available to MLB teams, is a bit of an unknown commodity due to his low-profile status as a Cuban prospect. Padres' GM Josh Byrnes told Brock that Despaigne was an "old generation" type of Cuban pitcher, and that the Padres were impressed with his varied use of many pitches and arm angles.

Back when the deal was reported as close on April 3, our Tyler Drenon took a bit of a deeper look at Despaigne's track record in Cuba:

Despaigne, 26, been a "workhorse" in Cuba -- he has started at least 20 games a year since becoming a starter in 2010 (h/t to ObstructedView.net).

From 2010 to 2013 in Cuba's Serie Nacional, he threw 647⅓ innings for Industriales, posting a 3.38 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. His control appears to be an issue -- he walked nearly four batters per nine innings over that span. He might not take the league by storm the way some of his fellow defectors have, but the Padres wouldn't bother with their pursuit if they didn't think he could help the organization.

The off day wasn't enough to refresh the Padres offense and another solid outing by Andrew Cashner went to waste last night as the ineptitude at the plate continued. Tonight our Friars look to avoid a fourth straight loss by putting together some runs behind the pitching of Ian Kennedy.

The right-hander has been the most consistent pitcher on the staff this season and, though he lacks the flash and excitement brought to the mound by Andrew Cashner or Tyson Ross, Kennedy has become a reliable part of the Padres staff. He's allowed one run in each of his last two outings, the most recent of which was his strongest showing of the season. He kept the Nationals to three hits and didn't walk a batter, collecting nine strikeouts in seven innings en route to a 4-2 road win. Today's matchup will be his third against his former team since he was traded to San Diego last August. His prior two appearances against them yielded contradicting results. At Arizona he surrendered six runs and walked five in 4 1/3 innings, but a few weeks later he limited them to just two runs in seven innings at home.

Opposing Kennedy will be Brandon McCarthy, who will try to bring the Diamondbacks their third straight victory and avoid a career-high sixth straight losing start. Looking at McCarthy's numbers this season, you'd think he was a Padres pitcher. Despite giving up only three earned runs over 12 innings in his last two starts, he's been unable to attain that first win. Dbacks hitters have provided just a single run of support over his last four outings, a trend that we can only hope will continue this afternoon when he takes the mound at Petco Park. Last year the right-hander faced the Padres three times. He kept them to one run over 14 frames in his first two starts, but allowed four runs over six frames in his most recent.

Head down to the ballpark or tune in at 5:40 PDT to see if our Friars can even up the series.

Arizona are now 7-7 on the road, and seek to move into positive territory there, against San Diego at Petco tonight. It's Brandon McCarthy versus former Diamondback, Ian Kennedy.

Brandon McCarthy RHP, 0-5, 5.54

Ian Kennedy RHP, 2-3, 3.16

Diamondbacks Lineup

1. Gerardo Parra - RF
2. Martin Prado - 3B
3. Paul Goldschmidt - 1B
4. Miguel Montero - C
5. Aaron Hill - 2B
6. Chris Owings - SS
7. Alfredo Marte - LF
8. Ender Inciarte - CF
9. Bronson Arroyo - P

Worst starts in the major-leagues since 1998

• 7-25.
  2003 Tigers (Lost #33)
• 8-24.
  1998 D-backs (Lost #33)
  1999 Marlins (Lost #33)
  2005 Royals (Lost #33)
  2013 Astros (Won #33)
• 9-23.
  11 teams tied
  
• 10-22
  29 teams tied, including 2014 D-backs

If we get a win today, I'll retire this feature of the preview - at least, until the next losing streak sinks us down into the bottom tier. Or maybe I shouldn't, considering we're currently 2-0 since I started it. Why quit on a good thing? The other streak on the line is Brandon McCarthy, who is still winless after his first six starts in 2014. That isn't a Diamondbacks' record - that belongs to Edgar Gonzalez, who went 0-9 in his first ten starts for the team in 2004. It isn't even a personal best for McCarthy, because he struggled similarly at the beginning of last season. He was winless over his first eight starts there, with an ERA of 5.63, very close to the 2014 figure.

However, if there's an omen, it's that his 2013 streak was finally ended his next appearance, after easily the best start of the season to that point went unrewarded. Then, he put up eight shutout innings against the Phillies, only for the bullpen to blow it: a Game Score of 73 was 26 points better than any preceding outing. Similarly, last time out, McCarthy struck out a career-high 12, and the  resulting Game Score of 66 was 21 points better than any preceding outing this year. If the same pattern is followed, McCarthy will finally break through and get a W today. He has only pitched once before in Petco, taking the loss last September, allowing four runs over six innings.

We'll be facing Kennedy, for the third time since he was traded to San Diego. The previous results have been mixed, with eight earned runs allowed over 11.1 innings, but Kennedy seems to have settled down this year, and the offense has been sputtering a bit of late. Over the last eight, Taco-less games, we have averaged less than four runs per contest, though we've actually been hitting better than average (a .722 OPS). Our struggles with runners in scoring position this season - a .586 OPS, 13th in the National League - are a significant factor in the lack of productive offense for Arizona.

In case you're wondering about the ongoing lack of Pollock, our own GuruB quizzed Nick Piecoro about the very topic.

Yeah. Groin issue for Pollock. Says he's about 80 percent. RT @GuruB_Tucson Curious why no AJ again.... something wrong?

— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) May 3, 2014

The Diamondbacks go for three wins in a row, today at Petco against the Padres - but they'll have to go through former team-mate, Ian Kennedy, to do it. Brandon McCarthy starts for Arizona, and makes his seventh attempt to get his first W of the year.

Brandon McCarthy RHP, 0-5, 5.54

Ian Kennedy RHP, 2-3, 3.16

Diamondbacks Lineup

1. Gerardo Parra - RF
2. Martin Prado - 3B
3. Paul Goldschmidt - 1B
4. Miguel Montero - C
5. Aaron Hill - 2B
6. Chris Owings - SS
7. Alfredo Marte - LF
8. Ender Inciarte - CF
9. Bronson Arroyo - P

Worst starts in the major-leagues since 1998

• 7-25.
  2003 Tigers (Lost #33)
• 8-24.
  1998 D-backs (Lost #33)
  1999 Marlins (Lost #33)
  2005 Royals (Lost #33)
  2013 Astros (Won #33)
• 9-23.
  11 teams tied
  
• 10-22
  29 teams tied, including 2014 D-backs

If we get a win today, I'll retire this feature of the preview - at least, until the next losing streak sinks us down into the bottom tier. Or maybe I shouldn't, considering we're currently 2-0 since I started it. Why quit on a good thing? The other streak on the line is Brandon McCarthy, who is still winless after his first six starts in 2014. That isn't a Diamondbacks' record - that belongs to Edgar Gonzalez, who went 0-9 in his first ten starts for the team in 2004. It isn't even a personal best for McCarthy, because he struggled similarly at the beginning of last season. He was winless over his first eight starts there, with an ERA of 5.63, very close to the 2014 figure.

However, if there's an omen, it's that his 2013 streak was finally ended his next appearance, after easily the best start of the season to that point went unrewarded. Then, he put up eight shutout innings against the Phillies, only for the bullpen to blow it: a Game Score of 73 was 26 points better than any preceding outing. Similarly, last time out, McCarthy struck out a career-high 12, and the  resulting Game Score of 66 was 21 points better than any preceding outing this year. If the same pattern is followed, McCarthy will finally break through and get a W today. He has only pitched once before in Petco, taking the loss last September, allowing four runs over six innings.

We'll be facing Kennedy, for the third time since he was traded to San Diego. The previous results have been mixed, with eight earned runs allowed over 11.1 innings, but Kennedy seems to have settled down this year, and the offense has been sputtering a bit of late. Over the last eight, Taco-less games, we have averaged less than four runs per contest, though we've actually been hitting better than average (a .722 OPS). Our struggles with runners in scoring position this season - a .586 OPS, 13th in the National League - are a significant factor in the lack of productive offense for Arizona.

In case you're wondering about the ongoing lack of Pollock, our own GuruB quizzed Nick Piecoro about the very topic.

Yeah. Groin issue for Pollock. Says he's about 80 percent. RT @GuruB_Tucson Curious why no AJ again.... something wrong?

— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) May 3, 2014

Brandon McCarthy matched Bronson Arroyo's performance last night, stat for stat, and the offense quite enjoyed their re-union with Ian Kennedy, as the Diamondbacks won their third game in a row, at Petco Park this evening.

Just as with Arroyo last night, Petco helped cure Brandon McCarthy, as he got his first win of the season, at the seventh attempt. He wasn't as dominant as last time, but still plenty good enough to handle the Padres. McCarthy went seven innings, allowing three hits and one walk, with six strikeouts. If that sounds familiar, it's exactly the same as Bronson Arroyo yesterday. Joe Thatcher failed to retire either batter he faced, but a Brad Ziegler double-play cleaned things up nicely. However, J.J. Putz and Addison Reed lost the shutout in an ugly ninth, allowing three runs while retiring one batter, before Reed eventually stranded the tying run on second.

Ian Kennedy was tagged for 11 hits in five innings, though the Diamondbacks managed only three runs off him. Two came in the second inning: Miguel Montero homered for the fourth time, then Chris Owings and Alfredo Marte had back-to-back doubles. Owings drove in Montero with an RBI single in the fifth, and Alfredo Marte knocked Aaron Hill in, with a seventh inning infield single. Montero and Owings enjoyed three-hit evenings, with Marte and Paul Goldschmidt each getting a pair of hits (Goldie was also robbed of a home-run by the Padres CF). Aaron Hill reached base safely three times, with a pair of walks and a hit.

The Diamondbacks go for what I believe is called "the sweep" tomorrow afternoon - not sure what that means, I'll have to look it up. Wade Miley will take on Tyson Ross there.

Brandon McCarthy was excellent, J.J. Putz and Addison Reed less so, but the end result was acceptable, as the Diamondbacks took their third victory in a row, beating the Padres in San Diego. They're now above .500 on the road, with an 8-7 record.

Record: 11-22. Pace: 54-108. Change on 2013/2010/2004: -7/-3/-3

Well, I said it.

Game #33: Diamondbacks @ Padres. I'm calling it: Brandon McCarthy gets his first W of the year tonight. http://t.co/HMzDnkJO4e

— AZ SnakePit (@AZSnakepit) May 3, 2014

And adding to my new-found status as the Nostradumbass of the SnakePit (that's how you spell it, isn't it?), in the Gameday Thread intro, I also wrote, "Another pitching performance from Brandon McCarthy, like last night's by Bronson Arroyo should do it." And, what did we get?

• Bronson Arroyo: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
• Brandon McCarthy: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

Careful, boys. We might start getting used to these kinds of outings from our rotation: anything less than seven shutout innings from Wade Miley tomorrow will be disappointing. Both pitchers faced the minimum in the first, but Miguel Montero then dispatched his fourth bomb of the season, 425 feet to right-center. That was one of his three hits on the night, and while his defense still remains a cause for concern, Miggy's offense is much improved of late. Over the last 14 games, Montero has hit .340 (16-for-47), and has seen his OPS increase by over two hundred points. from .626 to .840.

One out later, this was followed by another hustle double from Chris Owings - one of his three hits on the night - and Alfredo Marte then slapped the ball just inside the right-field foul line, allowing Owings to score easily. Marte also started the double-play which helped stop a potential rally in the Padres third, catching a ball in left-center leaving the bemused runner from first standing on third as he was doubled off. Thanks for the TOOTBLAN, Padres! In the top of the fifth, Paul Goldschmidt almost got himself a long ball as well, but was robbed by a leaping catch, right at the fence, by San Diego's Cameron Maybin.

However, that was only a temporary respite, as the next three batters singled, Owings driving in Miguel Montero with the last of them. Admittedly, he had a little help from the Padres here too, who inexplicably cut off the throw from left field, which would almost certainly have left Miggy not just a dead duck, but plucked, roasted and served with an orange up his nose. Mind you, it was worth it, purely for the way in which Montero arrived at home-plate, not so much sliding in, as doing a barrel-roll across it. An infield single by Marte in the seventh, completed the Diamondbacks scoring for the night.

Meanwhile, McCarthy was being efficient and effective, needing only 88 pitches to get through seven innings of Padres' offense. A lead-off double in the seventh was about the closest San Diego seriously came to threatening, but that runner was stranded there. McCarthy could certainly have gone longer, but was lifted for a pinch-hitter, with the final line given above, and comfortably in line for his first victory of the season. Nervousness did ensue, as LOOGY Joe Thatcher was inexplicably used to face a pair of right-handers in the eighth. Both singled, but Brad Ziegler came in and did what Brad Ziegler does, getting a double-play on his way to another zero.

The Diamondbacks came within two outs of their first consecutive collective shutouts in almost three years - we beat Washington 4-0 and 2-0 on June 3-4, 2011. But J.J. Putz wasn't having that. allowing a single and an RBI double. My fantasy team thanks him for this, as that created a nice, two out save situation for Addison Reed. My fantasy team was much less impressed with the two-run homer Reed immediately allowed, followed by a double and a (semi-intentional) walk, He finally got former Diamondback Xavier Nady to fly out to Gerardo Parra, with the tying run in scoring position. Reed's ERA is now above four; not exactly the lock-down closer we were promised.

Still, the bottom line is, the Diamondbacks pulled out their third consecutive win, though we're still looking for our first blow-out victory. The team's struggles with runners in scoring position were less prevalent this evening, as we went 3-for-10; certainly a lot better (and clearly more productive) than the Padres' 1-for-9. As well as Montero and Owings' three-hit nights, Goldschmidt and Marte had a pair of hits apiece and Aaron Hill was on base three times, with a hit and both of Arizona's walks.

[Click to enlarge, at fangraphs.com]
Jack Bauer: Brandon McCarthy, +30.7%
Chloe O'Brien: Montero, +14.5%; Marte, +10.7%
Nina Myers: Joe Thatcher, -7.2%

Yeah, this is my last recap before Monday. I won't be watching the game, funnily enough. :) A fun GDT, with a good cross-section of participants (unlike some poor sites...). TolkienBard led the way, ahead of Clefo and SenSurround, with the other participants being: Alfred E. Neuman, AzDbackfanInDc, AzRattler, Cardscrazy247, DeadmanG, Diamondhacks, GODSCHMIDT, GuruB, Jim McLennan, JoeCB1991, JoelPre, Makakilo, Moranall, MrMrrbi, PR151, Rockkstarr12, The so-called Beautiful, , Zavada's Moustache, asteroid, blank_38, cheese1213, cole8865, hotclaws, imstillhungry95, makattack71, onedotfive, porty99, preston.salisbury, rfffr, txzona and xmet.

Comment of the night to preston.salisbury, who will be guest recapping tomorrow's game and is clearly warming up his snark:

Tomorrow, it's the same two teams, at the same location, and hopefully the same result. It's actually the first time this year we've come into a series finale with even a chance at a sweep, in our 11th series of the year. In fact, you've got to go back to Aug 26-27 last year - twenty or so series ago - to find the last time the Diamondbacks took the first two games of any set. Coincidentally, that was also against San Diego, although at Chase. Wade Miley will face Tyson Ross, and if we win, it'll be our first sweep since Aug 12-14 against Baltimore.

The Padres almost pulled out a win tonight, but the bats woke up just a little too late. Brandon McCarthy held the Friar offense to just 3 hits and a walk in his 7 innings of work while Ian Kennedy allowed 3 runs on a whopping 11 hits in 5 innings, including a solo shot off the bat of Miguel Montero. Kennedy's outing would have been even worse had Cameron Maybin not robbed a home run from Paul Goldschmidt. Trailing 4-0 going into the ninth, there shouldn't have been any excitement left, but that's when the offense finally showed up.

After Chris Denorfia grounded out to lead off the ninth, Seth Smith got things going with a single to third. Yasmani Grandal finally got the Padres on the board with a double to center. Nervous for the first time this series, Kirk Gibson pulled J.J. Putz and replaced him with Addison Reed. That didn't work out so well. Jedd Gyorko took him deep to left center to pull the Pads to within one. Yonder Alonso finally provided the snakes with their second out, but Maybin got things going again with a line drive double to left. Will Venable walked to put the winning run on base, but Xavier Nady flew out to right to end the game.

Tyson Ross will try to prevent the sweep tomorrow afternoon at 1:10 PM. Here's to Sunday Runday!

Friar Fever OBLITERATED the comments with a whopping 180, but was out-recced 4-1 by Jodes.

The Lake Elsinore Storm beat the Inland Empire 66ers 5-4 Saturday night to improve to 18-12, but the victory takes a backseat in the big picture to the rehab assignments of Casey Kelly and Carlos Quentin. Kelly pitched in his first actual game since undergoing Tommy John surgery last April, and Quentin was on the field for the first time since hitting the DL with a fouled-up left knee right before this season began.

Quentin was in the starting lineup and got three at-bats before being replaced in left field by Luis Domoromo in the middle of the fifth inning. Q was hitless in those three at-bats, striking out once. His greatest contribution came after the game; as is customary whenever a major league player is down on the farm rehabbing, Quentin treated the team to an all-out ballin' meal of steak, chicken, and ribs.

Kelly didn't stay in the game as long as Quentin, but he did stick around for three and two-thirds innings, throwing 58 pitches. 44 of those were strikes, and five of those were third strikes. None of the 14 balls he threw were the fourth to any particular batter, and I feel like I could have saved a lot of time by just saying that he had five strikeouts and no walks. Kelly gave up a pair of runs, both earned, on six 66ers hits.

Cameos aside, the regular Storm players took care of business as usual while notching the eighth win out of their last nine games. Dick Enberg would take delight in the fact that they hit for the team cycle. Gabriel Quintana, Diego Goris, and Luis Tejada doubled; last year's first-round pick Hunter Renfroe hit his first triple of the year, and Goris hit a three-run shot for his third homer.

Matthew Shepherd earned his first win after pitching one and a third scoreless innings in immediate relief of Kelly. Bryce Morrow gave Inland Empire a pair of runs in the sixth inning, but Brandon Alger and Trevor Gott shut the door on the 66ers. Alger pitched two hitless innings, walking one batter and striking out three. Gott allowed a leadoff single in the ninth inning to put Inland Empire's tying run on base, but struck out the next three batters for his eighth save.

The Storm and 66ers will face off for the rubber match of the three-game set Sunday afternoon at 2:30 PDT. One would expect to see Quentin back in the starting lineup, perhaps even lasting through the sixth inning this time, but maybe getting back to midseason form includes taking Sunday off.

Ranking and tiering the two-start pitchers for Week 6, including Nate Eovaldi, Jonathon Niese and Jose Quintana.

There's no shortage of two-start pitchers in Week 6 with over 40 options to choose from (compared to just 30 in Week 5). A couple hot starts fizzled last week, as Martin Perez allowed eight earned runs against the Athletics and Aaron Harang coughed up nine against the Marlins. If you own either arm, you've probably missed your best opportunity to sell high. As luck would have it, both are scheduled for two starts in Week 6. I'm more optimistic about Perez's long-term value, but Harang has a better chance of bouncing back this week with two home starts against the Cardinals and Cubs. Perez, meanwhile, gets the Rockies on the road and the Red Sox at home.

Results (through Week 4)

13-7 (30 starts)
7.26 K/9
1.98 BB/9
3.02 ERA
0.99 WHIP

Updated: Sunday, May 4, 5 p.m. EST.

Start!

Max Scherzer: Mon-HOU (Cosart), Sat-MIN (Gibson)
Clayton Kershaw: Mon-@WSH (Zimmermann), Sat-SF (Cain)
Zack Greinke: Tue-@WSH (TBD), Sun-SF (Hudson)
Scott Kazmir: Mon-SEA (Young), Sun-WSH (Gonzalez)
Jeff Samardzija: Mon-CWS (Quintana), Sat-@ATL (Wood)
Jordan Zimmermann: Mon-LAD (Greinke), Sun-@OAK (Kazmir)
Cole Hamels: Tue-TOR (Huthison), Sun-@NYM (Niese)

Tier 1

Nate Eovaldi: Mon-NYM (Niese), Sat-@SD (Stults)
Yordano Ventura: Mon-@SD (Stults), Sat-@SEA (Young)
Jered Weaver: Mon-NYY (Phelps), Sun-@TOR (Buehrle)
Homer Bailey: Tue-@BOS (Peavy), Sun-COL (Nicasio)
Chris Tillman: Tue-@TB (Archer), Sun-HOU (Oberholtzer)
Shelby Miller: Mon-@ATL (Harang), Sun-@PIT (Volquez)
Matt Cain: Mon-@PIT (TBD), Sat-@LAD (Kershaw)
Tim Hudson: Tue-@PIT (Morton), Sun-@LAD (Greinke)

Tier 2

Matt Garza: Mon-ARI (Bolsinger), Sun-NYY (Phelps)
Chris Archer: Tue-BAL (Tillman), Sun-CLE (TBD)
Jonathon Niese: Mon-@MIA (Eovaldi), Sun-PHI (Hernandez)
Jose Quintana: Mon-@CHC (Samardzija), Sat-ARI (Miley)
Mark Buehrle: Tue-@PHI (Hernandez), Sun-LAA (Weaver)
Aaron Harang: Mon-STL (Miller), Sun-CHC (Jackson)
Drew Hutchison (TOR) -- Mon-@PHI (Kendrick), Sat-LAA (Skaggs)
Martin Perez: Mon-@COL (Lyles), Sat-BOS (Lester)
Robbie Erlin: Tue-KC (Guthrie), Sun-MIA (Alvarez)

Tier 3

Henderson Alvarez: Tue-NYM (Colon), Sun-@SD (Erlin)
David Phelps: Mon-@LAA (Weaver), Sun-@MIL (Garza)
Roenis Elias: Tue-@OAK (Chavez), Sun-KC (Guthrie)
Zach McAllister: Mon-MIN (Gibson), Sat-@TB (Bedard)
Jeremy Guthrie: Tue-@SD (Erlin), Sun-@SEA (Elias)
Edwin Jackson: Tue-CWS (TBD), Sun-@ATL (Harang)
Eric Stults: Mon-KC (Ventura), Sat-MIA (Eovaldi)
Kyle Kendrick: Mon-TOR (Hutchison), Sat-@NYM (Gee)

Not this week

Mike Bolsinger: Mon-@MIL (Garza), Sun-@CWS (TBD)
Jarred Cosart: Mon-@DET (Scherzer), Sat-@BAL (Gonzalez)
Kyle Gibson: Mon-@CLE (McAllister), Sat-@DET (Scherzer)
Roberto Hernandez: Tue-TOR (Buehrle), Sun-@NYM (Niese)
Jordan Lyles: Mon-TEX (Perez), Sat-@CIN (Simon)
Juan Nicasio: Tue-TEX (Ross), Sun-@CIN (Bailey)
Brett Oberholtzer: Tue-@DET (Ray), Sun-@BAL (Tillman)
Mike Pelfrey: Tue-@CLE (TBD), Sun-@DET (Ray)
Robbie Ross: Tue-@COL (Nicasio), Sun-BOS (Lackey)
Chris Young: Mon-@OAK (Kazmir), Sat-KC (Ventura)

My Week 6 Picks

Nate Eovaldi (NYM, @SD)
2014: 2-1, 38.1 IP, 8.22 K/9, 1.17 BB/9, 55.5 GB%, 2.58 ERA, 1.02 WHIP

Tier 1 starters are normally owned in 100 percent of leagues, but Eovaldi is still available in roughly 60 percent of ESPN and Yahoo leagues. That's insane. Through 38 1/3 innings, the 24-year-old flamethrower has punched out 35 batters and owns the seventh best strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.00) in baseball -- better than teammate Jose Fernandez (6.88). Eovaldi faces the Mets and Padres in Week 6, who are 29th and 30th, respectively, in wOBA. Run to your waiver wire before your mates get there first. The secret won't be out much longer.

Jonathon Niese (@MIA, PHI)
2014: 2-2, 32.2 IP, 6.61 K/9, 2.20 BB/9, 45.3 GB%, 2.20 ERA, 1.04 WHIP

Niese started the season on the disabled list, but I assure you he's now healthy and in a pitching groove. Over his last three turns, the 27-year-old left-hander has recorded two victories and allowed a total of three earned runs in 19 2/3 innings (1.37 ERA), including 15 strikeouts. He hasn't allowed more than three earned in any start, and he's registered four consecutive quality starts. The velocity isn't all the way back, but a pair of nice matchups against National League East opponents should give you enough confidence to start the southpaw in Week 6. The Marlins are no longer a cakewalk, but the Phillies are up and down. Niese is still out there in well about 80 percent of ESPN and Yahoo games.

Jose Quintana (@CHC, ARI)
2014: 1-2, 36 IP, 8.00 K/9, 2.25 BB/9, 43.1 GB%, 4.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP

"Q" is one of my go-to streamers. He had a quiet breakthrough in 2013, going 9-7 with a 3.51 ERA/3.82 FIP/3.86 xFIP across 200 innings. This year, Quintana is striking out eight batters per nine, but he's been unlucky with a .333 BABIP. I think the best is yet to come for the 25-year-old, who does own a cleaner 3.54 FIP and 3.31 xFIP through his first 36 innings. He's getting more batters to chase outside the strike zone, and his fly ball rate is down from 37.4 percent to 31.2 percent. Chicago leads the American League in runs, so I expect at least one win against the NL's two worst teams in Week 6.

Going Deeper

Robbie Erlin (KC, MIA)
2014: 1-4, 29.1 IP, 7.67 K/9, 2.15 BB/9, 29.5 GB%, 5.83 ERA, 1.40 WHIP

Erlin is coming off four straight losses, but he could have easily won his last start against the Giants (6.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K). He's been markedly better at home than on the road, holding opposing bats to a .209/.277/.310 slash line at Petco. I'm banking on a pair of home starts to push the southpaw to a win in Week 6, as the Padres offense is struggling big time. Erlin hasn't pitched as bad as his 5.83 ERA would indicate (3.04 FIP/3.83 xFIP); he's allowed just two home runs in five starts and he owns a solid 3.47 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 29-plus frames. Only the Royals have scored fewer runs than the Astros in the AL, so I expect Erlin's best chance at a victory against Kansas City on Tuesday.

I've never really been drawn in by the allure of relics cards. Oh, sure, I think they're cooler than being cool (ice cold!), but I tend to look at the price tags, calculate how many Joey Cora cards I could get for that amount, and then do that instead. I do have a few jersey cards that were too good of deals to pass up, but this is my first game-used bat card. My friend Shane and some friends of his have a periodic trade night and he snagged this up with me in mind. It's one of the nicest things anyone has done for me, but its spot on the list falls somewhere below the time he let me name his daughter.

As one of just 18, this is the scarcest Tony Gwynn card I own, and one of the scarcest cards I own, period. I have a 1-of-1 Alexi Amarista printing plate that came along in the same package (which I'm sure you'll be seeing here before too long), and three of the numbered-to-five 2012 Leaf Memories buyback cards of Joey Cora, but I think that's about it. Even cooler than this card being one of 18 is that it's number one of 18. That seems a lot neater to me than, say, number 12 of 18. And yes, we're thinking the same thing: They totally should have made one more of these so they could be numbered to 19.

McCarthy has a win! D'backs win 3rd in a row! Everything is perfect!

Quotables

"He was hitting his spots," Arizona catcher Miguel Montero said. "He was locating his fastball, he was locating his breaking ball and expanding too. He got quick outs, that's a good thing. He was throwing good first pitch with good location and he got them to swing the bat and get quick outs."

- Montero on McCarthy's outing

"It's not a big deal," he said. "It really isn't. But in my head right now it kind of sucks not being able to be out there. "If you hit homers, it helps your body out — you get to jog," he joked. "Maybe that's what I'll work on." "Hopefully, I can get over this and not have to deal with anything ever again this year," he said.

- Pollock on his injury status

Daily Dbacks

Diamondbacks hold off the Padres for third straight win - azcentral

The Diamondbacks allowed three runs in the ninth, but they held on to win 4-3 at Petco Park.

Diamondbacks hold off Padres | FOX Sports

Brandon McCarthy threw seven superb innings and Alfredo Marte drove in two runs before the Diamondbacks survived a ninth-inning rally for a 4-3 win over the Padres on Saturday night.

McCarthy earns first win as D-backs hold off Padres | dbacks.com

Brandon McCarthy got his elusive first win of the season as the D-backs beat the Padres, 4-3, Saturday night at Petco Park. The win was the third in a row for the D-backs, which matches their longest winning streak of the season and they are now 2-0 on this nine-game road trip.

D'backs win over Padres: By the numbers

Here's a look back at the narrow, one-run victory by the numbers.

Miley takes the mound looking for sweep | MLB.com Preview

In 2013, there were few better in baseball against the D-backs than right-hander Tyson Ross, who starts the series finale Sunday afternoon. Ross had a 1.96 ERA in four appearances against Arizona last season, including three starts. On July 28, he tossed eight scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. Then, two months later, Ross limited the D-backs to one run in eight innings with six strikeouts.

Montero's hot streak makes day off difficult; Pollock out 3rd game; Parra playing through swelling | dbacks.com

D-backs manager Kirk Gibson would like to get catcher Miguel Montero some rest, but he just can't bring himself to take Montero out of the lineup right now. Saturday night was his tenth straight game. Right up until he started running Saturday afternoon, D-backs outfielder A.J. Pollock thought he would be in that night's starting lineup. Instead Pollock was out of the lineup for the third straight game with a groin injury. D-backs outfielder Gerardo Parra refused to come out of the game last Wednesday when he was smoked in the right elbow by a Rex Brothers' pitch.

A.J. Pollock feels ready; Kirk Gibson plays it safe - azcentral

A.J. Pollock believes the groin injury that sidelined him again on Saturday isn't significant, but that doesn't make it any easier for him to handle being out of the starting lineup.

GM Kevin Towers on D-Backs’ hopeful turnaround: "Will I be around to see it? I don’t know." | HardballTalk

GM Kevin Towers isn't sure if he'll be given enough time to watch his team turn things around. The Diamondbacks enter Sunday with an MLB-worst 11-22 record.

Bloom: Padres, D-backs hit hard by Tommy John injuries | dbacks.com

The Padres and D-backs have been hit particularly hard by elbow injuries to pitchers that requires Tommy John surgery, with Josh Johnson, Cory Luebke, Joe Wieland, Patrick Corbin, Daniel Hudson, Matt Reynolds and David Hernandez all in the midst of the procedure's long recovery period.

Around the MLB

Colorado Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki reaches 1,000 career hits | Rockies.com

They way he's hitting, I don't think it'll be long until hit #2000.

MLB commissioner Bud Selig -- Baseball has never been more popular - ESPN

Commissioner Bud Selig, who intends to retire when his contract ends in January 2015, made a farewell-tour stop Friday at Coors Field. In a wide-ranging interview, Selig suggested baseball has never been more popular.

A late rally came up just short and our Padres now find themselves looking to salvage the final game of the series.

Tyson Ross represents our last chance against the Diamondbacks in this home seres. The right-hander posted a 2.13 ERA in his first four starts this season, but his last two haven't been as sharp. He surrendered nine runs over 11 1/3 innings in those last two outings, though the Friars were able to scrape together enough offense for a win in San Francisco. He has been solid against the Diamondbacks, though. Last year he went 1-1 with a 1.96 ERA in four appearances (three starts) against Arizona, keeping batters to a .184 average.

Unfortunately, even that may not be enough to escape with a win if the Padres offense continues to look clueless at the plate. They're at the very bottom of the league in batting, with a team .215 average, and runs, collecting just 80 through the first 31 games. Today that offense will go against Wade Miley. The southpaw is coming off a rough start against the Rockies at home, where he coughed up seven runs on ten hits through six innings of work. In nine career starts against the Padres, Miley is 1-6 with a 5.26 ERA.

Tune in at 1:10 PDT to see if Miley's track record against San Diego holds and last night's 9th inning is a harbinger of a resurging offense.

Arizona couldn't quite complete the sweep, as San Diego walked off winners, on an infield squibber on the ninth. A key play in the inning was one of two calls overturned in favor of the Padres

Wade Miley wasn't quite as good as Arroyo or McCarthy the past couple of days, but was still serviceable enough.  He allowed a total of three runs over seven innings, on six hits and a walk, with four strikeouts - the key blow was a two-run double to Padres' catcher Rene Rivera in the fourth. After a scoreless inning from Randall Delgado kept things tied after eight, Kirk Gibson went to Oliver Perez, but a bang-bang play at first, initially called out, was reversed on appeal. One out later, Rivera clubbed the ball over Gerardo Parra's head for a double, putting the winning run at third. Perez then opted to try and strike out a left-handed batter. It didn't work out too well.

The Diamondbacks couldn't take advantage of a trio of Padres errors, but did score three times in their half of the fourth inning. Paul Goldschmidt got his fifth home-run of the year, and Tuffy Gosewisch drove in two runs with a single later in the same inning. Goldschmidt and Parra each had a pair hits for Arizona, Goldie also drawing a walk. The team now moves on to Milwaukee for a three-game series which starts tomorrow. Mike Bolsinger will take on Matt Garza in the opener, with a first pitch of 5:10pm, Arizona time. preston.salisbury will be along in a little while with the detailed recap, so stick around for that.