SAN DIEGO – The Diamondbacks’ series here this weekend is their first at Petco Park this year, the result of a scheduling quirk that kept them away throughout the season’s first half but brings them here in each of the final three months.
As the year unfolds, the San Diego Padres could begin to promote some of their better prospects, a development that could, in theory, work against the Diamondbacks, who might then have to face tougher competition. But on Saturday night, more than a week after the Padres’ status as non-contenders led them to trade away two of their better relievers, the schedule worked in the Diamondbacks’ favor.