Brandon Pfaadt (1-1, 5.40 ERA) gets the ball for Arizona in the series opener, and it's worth remembering how far he's come just to be standing on a big-league mound right now. He got demoted to the bullpen and then to Triple-A Reno earlier this year before clawing his way back, and his return start against San Francisco went about as well as it could: 5.1 innings, 1 earned run, a win. Walker Buehler (5-4, 4.61) takes it for the Padres, and his last time out is the elephant in the room — 9 earned runs in 4 innings against the Cubs, a career-worst that turned into a 23-3 humiliation for San Diego.
San Diego limped out of that Cubs series and then dropped three of four to the Dodgers before finally breaking through Sunday, a 5-2 win keyed by a Manny Machado 3-run homer and a Fernando Tatis Jr. RBI single. Machado's been the engine of this lineup all year — 18 homers, 51 RBIs — and Tatis isn't far behind at .284 with 34 RBIs, so the offense clearly has teeth even when the pitching staff is bleeding. The rotation, though, is a mess: Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Nick Pivetta and Matt Waldron are all out, which is exactly why a shaky Buehler start carries so much weight right now.
Arizona's banged up too, just on the other side of the roster — Corbin Burnes, Ryne Nelson and Michael Soroka are all shelved, which is a big part of why Pfaadt is even back in the rotation in the first place. The Diamondbacks have split their last 5, taking one from the Brewers before dropping the finale, and they'll need saner outings out of a rebuilt rotation than they've gotten most of the year if they want to keep pace in a crowded NL West race that the Dodgers have otherwise run away with.
The injury sheets on both sides are long, and neither team is dealing with a healthy pitching staff walking into this one.
- 10-Day-ILJames McCann C — McCann (quadriceps) will play Saturday and Sunday for Triple-A Reno and could then rejoin the Diamondbacks, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILJordan Lawlar LF — Manager Torey Lovullo said June 20 that Lawlar will receive further imaging on his strained right hamstring during the All-Star break to gauge his healing, Steve Gilbert MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILMichael Soroka SP — Soroka (glute) is expected to begin throwing bullpen sessions twice weekly starting Tuesday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILCorbin Burnes SP — Burnes (elbow) is expected to be re-evaluated during the first or second week of July, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRyne Nelson SP — The Diamondbacks transferred Nelson (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Thursday.
- 60-Day-ILA.J. Puk RP — Arizona is shutting down Puk (elbow) for another four weeks due to a capsule strain and he will also undergo another MRI in four weeks, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
- 60-Day-ILCristian Mena RP — Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Monday that Mena underwent surgery on his right shoulder and will be sidelined for the rest of the season, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILBlake Walston SP — Walston (elbow) paused his rehab program earlier in the season, but he was expected to start building back up around the middle of May, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILFreddy Fermin C — The Padres placed Fermin on the 10-day injured list Friday with a head bruise, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
- 15-Day-ILRandy Vasquez SP — no
- 15-Day-ILJeremiah Estrada RP — Estrada (knee) has been throwing at the Padres' spring-training complex in Arizona, per MLB.com.
- 15-Day-ILLucas Giolito SP — Giolito (elbow) resumed light throwing in late June, per MLB.com.
- 15-Day-ILJason Adam RP — The Padres placed Adam on the 15-day injured list Thursday, retroactive to Tuesday, with a right shoulder strain.
- 15-Day-ILDavid Morgan RP — The Padres recalled Morgan from Triple-A El Paso on Friday.
- 15-Day-ILMatt Waldron SP — Waldron (forearm) struck out four and allowed two earned runs on two hits and four walks across 2.2 innings Thursday in a rehab start with Triple-A El Paso.
- 60-Day-ILNick Pivetta SP — Pivetta (forearm) threw a light bullpen session Saturday, MLB.com reports.
Neither club looks like it's playing its best baseball right now, which is exactly what makes this one interesting. Arizona has the fresher arm on the mound and a lineup that's shown some life against a shorthanded Padres pitching staff, while San Diego is banking on Machado and Tatis to paper over a rotation that's been getting torched. First pitch is 6:40 PM PT at Petco Park, and whichever team can avoid another Buehler-in-Chicago-style meltdown probably walks away with it.