The lineups are thinner too. San Diego is down Miguel Andujar, Samad Taylor and Ramon Laureano, while Arizona is without Jordan Lawlar, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Tommy Troy. Neither club is at full strength, which is part of why the number at the window has both teams treated as live dogs and favorites depending on the market.
Zoom out and this series matters more than a typical Monday in August. The Dodgers have the division locked up by a wide margin, so Arizona and San Diego are effectively playing a four-game play-in for wild-card positioning. Arizona's coming off 4 wins in 5 games; San Diego just swept the Giants and has won 4 of its last 5 too — this is as close to even as two teams get.
The injury math cuts both ways more than either fan base wants to admit. Neither team's pitching staff is whole, and both are patching lineup spots — the version of this rivalry showing up Monday isn't either club's best 26.
King not getting traded is the story of the day, but it also raises the stakes on his outing — a shaky start here and the rebuild-or-buy noise around him doesn't go away. Pfaadt, meanwhile, is trying to string together consistency after a rocky first half. Whoever's arm holds up longer probably decides which team leaves Chase Field a game closer to October.