Padres at Diamondbacks: 5 Players to Watch

Jul 5, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; San Diego Padres interim manager Pat Murphy (24) looks on against the St. Louis Cardinals during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Two division rivals down, one to go on this home stand for the Arizona Diamondbacks. They took two of three from the San Francisco Giants and dropped two of three to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The D-backs are now 68-75 and in third place in the National League West. They are right in the middle of a 23 game stretch where it is nothing but NL West opponents. The third team that invades Chase Field this month is the San Diego Padres.

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With all of the hype surrounding the moves made by A.J. Preller in the offseason, the Padres have been one of the most disappointing teams in baseball. They are 67-77, a game and a half behind the D-backs.  San Diego hold  7-6 edge in games in 2015; this is the first time the two clubs have met since the end of June with the Padres winning two of three contests at Petco Park. Here are five players to watch over the next three days with third place on the line.

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