Series Preview: The battle for last place

By Matthew Rzodkiewicz

Jul 4, 2016

May 29, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Brad Ziegler (29) is congratulated by catcher Chris Herrmann (10) after closing out the game against the San Diego Padres at Chase Field. The Arizona Diamondbacks won 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /

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Players to Watch:

As we always should, keep your eye on Jake Lamb. In his last 91 at-bats, the young third baseman has hit 10 homers while hitting .319. Goldschmidt has also struck fire to his All-Star bid in the past month, batting .346 with 5 home runs in his past 104 at-bats. Arizona’s bullpen has also been impressive—Randall Delgado and Brad Ziegler have a sub-2.00 ERA in their last month’s-worth of outings.

As for the visitors, keep an eye on Wil Myers and Melvin Upton Jr. The Padres may have struck lightning in a bottle with Melvin. In his past 99 at-bats, Upton Jr. has hit .293 with 7 homers—alongside quite an extensive defensive highlight reel. Catcher Christian Bethancourt is also a player to keep an eye on—especially if he comes in to pitch. Bethancourt has pitched in two games so far this season, each very impressive. Holding opposing batters to a .167 average across 1.2 innings of work, Bethancourt is most known for his wonderful eephus.