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The
Arizona Diamondbacks
and
San Diego Padres
are locked up in races for the NL West and the wild card, but neither team seems to playing as if they want to go to the postseason.
The rivals continue a three-game series at Petco Park on Saturday.
The Padres (61-61) snapped a four-game losing streak with an 8-2 victory in the series opener on Friday, but it was just their
third win in 11 games.
Arizona (61-61), meanwhile, has dropped two in a row and four of its last six.
Both teams trail Cincinnati by one game in the NL wild card and are three games in back of the NL West-leading
Los Angeles Dodgers
.
San Diego left fielder
Dave Roberts
went 2-for-5 with three RBIs on Friday and is hitting .357 (10-for-28) during a six-game hitting streak.
Mike Cameron
connected for a two-run homer and
Geoff Blum
- filling in for
Khalil Greene
, who was sidelined with a sprained left middle finger that recently forced him to miss six games - added a two-run single.
Despite his team's recent struggles, Padres manager
Bruce Bochy
was pleased to see them rebound from a four-game sweep by San Francisco.
''It's great to be resilient and bounce back after a tough series against the Giants,'' Bochy said. ''It's huge for the ballclub.''
The Padres have won two in a row over the Diamondbacks after a seven-game losing streak against them.
Clay Hensley
(7-10, 4.19 ERA) hopes to avoid losing a season-high third straight start for San Diego.
The right-hander limited San Francisco to one unearned run and four hits over seven innings of a 1-0 defeat on Monday. Hensley
has a 2.55 ERA over his last four starts, but has gone 1-3 as he has received just six runs of support.
''We kept attacking with the fastball,'' Hensley said after Monday's loss. ''It just didn't go our way. It's a little frustrating,
but a lot of times they're going to pick me up.''
Hensley has made four relief appearances against the Diamondbacks, allowing two runs through 5 1-3 innings, but will make
his first start against them.
He will be opposed by
Claudio Vargas
(9-8, 5.10), who is trying to win consecutive decisions for first time in more than two months.
The right-hander allowed two runs - one earned - and six hits over 6 1-3 innings of a 4-3 defeat to Colorado on Monday, but
didn't receive a decision.
Vargas has given up only three earned runs, struck out 12 and walked only two in 12 1-3 innings spanning his last two starts.
In two appearances against the Padres this season, including a start, Vargas has scattered just seven hits through nine innings.
He has not walked a batter and struck out six. He's 1-2 with a 2.54 ERA in six career games versus San Diego, including four
starts.
But he has struggled away from Chase Field recently, recording three losses and a no-decision in his last four road starts,
posting a 5.75 ERA.
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