MLB – San Diego at Arizona (9:40 PM ET – FSAZ)
The San Diego Padres are entering the second half of the season in first place for the sixth time in their history
2007-07-13
The San Diego Padres are entering the second half of the season in first place for the sixth time in their history. The last five times, they've ended the season with a division title. The Padres hope that formula again holds true as they open the second half with a three-game series against the slumping Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Friday.
San Diego (49-38) entered the All-Star break with the best record in the National League and a one-game lead over the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. The Padres also went into the break with a division lead in 2006, 2005, 1998, 1996 and 1984 -- the only seasons the team reached the playoffs.
However, the Padres know reaching the postseason this season won't be easy in a tough NL West. San Diego is 19-13 against division foes, but lost five of eight heading into the break, with all but one of those games coming against teams outside the West. The Padres dropped two of three against the Atlanta Braves last weekend, including Sunday's 5-4 loss.
Greg Maddux (7-6, 4.19 ERA), who starts Friday's series opener, took the loss in that game, allowing five runs in six innings against his former team. He has dropped his last two starts, allowing 11 runs and 16 hits in 11 1-3 innings. Maddux has struggled against the Diamondbacks, going 1-9 with a 5.12 ERA in 15 starts. In nine starts at Chase Field, Maddux is 0-5 with a 5.40 ERA. His only victory against Arizona came on Sept. 7, 2000 in Atlanta.
The Diamondbacks (47-43) trail the Padres by 3 1/2 games in the West but have dropped a season high-tying five straight and eight of nine. They own the second-worst batting average in the NL at .248 -- ahead of only San Diego's .242 mark -- and replaced hitting coach Kevin Seitzer with Rick Schu on Wednesday. They were swept in three games at Cincinnati heading into the break, including Sunday's 11-inning, 4-3 loss.
Arizona will hand the ball to Doug Davis (5-10, 4.26), who has dropped his last two starts, including a 3-2 loss in St. Louis on July 5 as he allowed three runs in seven innings. Davis, who is 1-4 with a 7.03 ERA over his last six starts, has walked an NL-worst 59 batters, including 11 in his last two outings. He is 3-2 with a 3.61 ERA in eight career appearances, including seven starts, against the Padres.
For more on this contest as well as the other 14 games on the diamond Friday, visit the Betting Trends and Team Statistics Pages.
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