D-backs and Padres Set for Huge Weekend Clash at Chase Field

The Arizona Diamondbacks (34-34) host the San Diego Padres (38-29) this weekend at Chase Field for a critical three game series. This is the first of 13 matchups in the 2025 season series.

The Diamondbacks trail the Padres by 4.5 games for the third NL Wild Card spot. A series win would allow Arizona to inch a game close to San Diego, but a series loss would serve to put the D-backs in an even deeper hole than they are now.

The Diamondbacks are coming off a sweep of the Seattle Mariners and are 7-3 in their last 10 games. All three losses came at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds last weekend on the road. It's been a rollercoaster ride to .500 for the D-backs, as they swept the Atlanta Braves just before that.

The Padres lost two of the to the Dodgers in San Diego despite outscoring the first place team in the NL West by 21-14. The Padres got off to a hot start this year, going 19-11 in March/April, but are 19-18 since May 1, and 6-5 in June.

Injuries

The Diamondbacks are waiting on new of Justin Martinez's fate and whether or not he will require Tommy John Surgery due to a UCL sprain. Corbin Burnes just had Tommy John Surgery on Wednesday and is out until late 2026. Relievers A.J. Puk, Kendall Graveman, Christian Montes De Oca, and Cristian Mena are all out with various injuries and no time table for return.

The Padres lost Joe Musgrove before the season started to Tommy John Surgery. Yu Darvish has yet to pitch in a major league game this year, and Michael King has shoulder inflammation. Both have no timetable for return. Jason Heyward is out until July with an oblique strain. Relievers Bryan Hoeing and Logan Gillaspie are also out without set return dates.

Pitching Matchups

Friday, June 13, 6:40 p.m. MST.

Programming Note: This game is an exclusive AppleTV+ broadcast and is not available on Dbacks.TV

Stephen Kolek RHP, 3-1, 3.00 ERA, 3.98 FIP in 42 IP. Kolek made 42 relief appearances for the Padres last year, but was converted to starter for 2025. After five starts in Triple-A he was called up May 2, and threw a complete game shutout against the Rockies in his second outing. After a couple of bumpy outings, he's back to putting up zeroes, having dones so for 5.2 innings in each of his last two starts.

Ryne Nelson, 2-2, 4.60 ERA, 3.68 FIP in 45 IP. Nelson had been having a good season up until his last start on June 7 against the Reds. He gave up seven earned runs in just three innings, giving up four hits and walking four. He was not able to land any of his pitchers for strikes consistently.

Saturday June 14, 4:15 p.m. MST. (Note the earlier than usual Saturday start time, as the game will be broadcast on FOX)

Ryan Berget RHP, 1-0 1.26 ERA, 4.34 FIP in 14.1 IP. Don't be mislead by the ERA in 14 innings. Berget has walked six, struck out just eight, and given up a homer. His 96% LOB rate is not sustainable.

Zac Gallen RHP, 4-8, 5.15 ERA, 4.90 FIP in 80.1 IP. It's been a down and inconsistent season for Gallen, and he can't really claim bad luck, as evidenced by his 4.90 FIP. He's given up 14 homers and his 36 walks are the most in the National League so far.

Sunday, June 15, 1:10 p.m. MST

Nick Pivetta, RHP 6-2, 3.48 ERA, 3.25 FIP in 72.1 IP. Pivetta is having a solid season for the Padres, and got off to a hot start. He's cooled off of late, however, giving up nine earned runs in his last 10 innings.

Merrill Kelly, RHP 6-2, 3.18 ERA, 3.23 FIP in 82 IP. At 36 years old, Kelly has been the best starter for the D-backs in 2025. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 10 of his 14 starts.

OFFENSE

The Padres do not score a lot of runs. Their 4.16 runs per game ranks 19 in MLB and team .690 OPS ranks 20.

Manny Machado is having another very good season, batting .320 with 10 homers and 39 RBI. His .891 OPS works out to a 146 Park-Adjusted OPS+.

Fernando Tatis Jr. got off to a tremendous start to the year, batting .345 with 13 homers through the end of April. Since May 2 he's batting .188 with five homers.

Jackson Merrill has hit .281 with two homers and .743 OPS since coming off the injured list on May 6. He was on fire prior to getting injured April, batting .378 with three homers in his first 10 games.

The Diamondbacks have the third best offense in baseball, averaging 5.1 runs per game. They're third in homers with 98 and and fourth in OPS with a .782 mark.

Ketel Marte leads the way with a .297 average along with 12 homers and a 1.003 OPS in 187 PA. Corbin Carroll and Eugenio Suarez each have 19 homers, and Carroll leads the league in Triples with eight.

Josh Naylor is batting .302 and is tied with shortstop Geraldo Perdomo for second on the team in RBI with 45. Suarez is the team leader with 52.

BULLPENS

The Padres 3.14 bullpen ERA is the third best in MLB, and is clearly the strength of their ballclub. The have the hottest closer in the game in Robert Suarez, who has 21 saves and owns a 1.78 ERA.

Setup men Jason Adam and Jeremiah Estrada have 1.59 and 2.61 ERA respectively. Adrian Morejon and Yuki Matsui have been very solid from the left side.

Shelby Miller has taken over at closer for the injured Justin Martinez. He's got a 1.63 ERA in 27.2 innings along with seven saves and eight holds. Jalen Beeks has done yeoman's work, leading the team with 32 appearances and 32.2 IP while posting a 3.03 ERA.

Beyond those two, it's been pretty much a disaster for the D-backs bullpen since Puk and Martinez first got hurt on April 18. Their 5.21 bullpen ERA ranks 27th in the majors.