Following a late rally in the opener of this three-game series, the Arizona Diamondbacks try to pick up another victory over the San Diego Padres in Saturday night's meeting at Chase Field.
The Diamondbacks trailed for much of Friday's contest before exploding for five runs in the seventh inning and they held on for the 5-2 triumph.
Paul Goldschmidt was 2-for-4, including a two-run double in the seventh, and he continues to be among the league leaders in hitting (.320) and RBI (38). A.J. Pollock finished 3-for-4 out of the leadoff spot and also had an RBI in the pivotal seventh.
Brandon McCarthy (2-3) was impressive in the win, yielding just five hits, two walks and an earned run over seven innings of work. Heath Bell surrendered two base runners in the ninth but escaped unharmed for his seventh save.
San Diego starter Eric Stults (4-4) was cruising along for most of the game, allowing just three hits over the first six innings, but he had to exit in the seventh after allowing four earned runs.
"(Stults) and McCarthy were hooked up in a definite pitchers' duel," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Stults threw the ball great."
Everth Cabrera belted his third homer in the defeat, and Carlos Quentin went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles.
The Padres will send Andrew Cashner to the hill on Saturday. The 26-year old right-hander has been effective in 11 appearances this season (6 starts), going 3-2 with a 3.02 ERA.
Cashner earned the win in his latest outing, allowing three earned runs and striking out six in 6 2/3 innings of work against the Nationals on May 19.
"I thought he did a nice job with the fastball-change-up combination," Black said following Cashner's last start. "He wobbled very little. I thought he was in control of the game and pitched very well."
In seven career appearances against the Diamondbacks, Cashner sports an impressive 2.76 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings.
Arizona will counter with Wade Miley, who is 3-3 with a 3.67 ERA in nine starts this season.
Miley, who was selected to the 2012 All Star Game, has struggled in May, going just 1-3 with a 5.32 ERA in four starts. He pieced together a strong outing his last time out on May 19, striking out six in six innings of work while allowing just two earned runs, but he was the hard-luck loser in a 2-1 decision against the Marlins.
The left-hander was roughed up by the Padres on May 3, allowing nine hits, three walks and four earned runs in five innings in the 7-6 defeat.
San Diego took two of three games versus Arizona at home from May 3-5 and have won 11 of the last 16 meetings.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.