The San Diego Padres (74-61) will host the Arizona Diamondbacks (64-69) on Tuesday in the second contest of a three-game series. The Padres took nine of the first 12 head-to-head games this season, and this preview was written Monday's series opener.
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The turnaround by the Arizona Diamondbacks is one of the more overlooked stories in baseball. With 29 games left to play, they have already won 12 more games than last season. The club has won eight of their last 10 games and is averaging an MLB-best 6.5 runs per game during that stretch. Christian Walker leads Arizona with career highs of 31 home runs and 75 RBI, and Daulton Varsho is second with 20 home runs and 61 RBI.
Mood after back-to-back series wins! pic.twitter.com/Zpu8ZGtBoX
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) September 4, 2022
Arizona only ranks 22nd with a 4.22 ERA overall and is 25th with a 4.48 ERA. Despite the pitching struggles overall, the Diamondbacks have two of the top-performing starters in the National League this season (Merill Kelly and Zac Gallen). Merrill Kelly (12-5, 2.84 ERA) will make the start on Tuesday. On the road, he is 8-1 with a 2.74 ERA in 12 starts. He has also performed well with a 0.90 ERA in two starts against the Padres this season.