SAN DIEGO -- After a sour ending to their series in Chicago, the D-backs arrived in San Diego Friday and turned to their ace, eager for a clean slate.
Their ace delivered, as Zack Greinke stifled the Padres for one run on six hits over seven innings en route to a 6-2 victory at Petco Park. He struck out six and didn't issue a walk in his third straight outing of seven innings or more.
"There was a good balance," Greinke said. "Location, pitches were pretty good, that was the key. I had some balls hit harder early on at guys to make it a little easier and some double plays, which was nice also."
The performance was nothing new for Greinke, given his opponent. Greinke ranks among the all-time leaders against San Diego in ERA and opponent's batting average, and is the leader in winning percentage and WHIP. With the win, he improved his lifetime record against San Diego to 11-2 in 21 career starts and lowered his ERA to 2.10, tied for fourth-lowest all-time against San Diego.
"I started facing them a lot when I started pitching really good in general," Greinke said. "It's a good place to pitch here, L.A. was a good place to pitch. [The Padres'] offense has never been in the top of the league, so it's a good combination."
With the D-backs in the heart of a pennant race -- they sit in second place, 1 1/2 games behind the Dodgers in the National League West -- Greinke's long-running dominance couldn't be coming at a more opportune time. He is 7-0 in his last eight starts with a 1.53 ERA and has won his last six road starts while posting a 1.59 ERA. He improved to 12-5 on the year and lowered his ERA to 2.96, the sixth-lowest in the NL.
Greinke's lone mistake occurred in the second inning when Manuel Margot sent a changeup offering to the second deck of the Western Metal Supply Building for a solo shot. The Padres didn't score again until the eighth inning, after Greinke departed. Austin Hedges spoiled Matt Andriese's D-backs debut with a solo shot to make it 6-2.
"Today was not an easy day, I'm not going to lie," manager Torey Lovullo said. "I didn't sleep well after last night's [loss to the Cubs], but I think we turned the page effectively.
"The right guy stepped on the mound and gave us a great effort and allowed us to do those things."
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
When Arizona acquired Eduardo Escobar from the Twins on Friday, they were told to expect a "doubles machine." If the D-backs hit like they did Friday night, Escobar will fit right in.
The D-backs erupted for a six-run third inning, batting around and knocking Padres starter Luis Perdomo out of the game. After Jeff Mathis led off the inning with a double and Greinke fouled out, Jonathan Jay ripped an RBI single as seven straight D-backs reached base before San Diego recorded an out. The highlight of the offensive barrage came courtesy of A.J. Pollock and Steven Souza Jr.s back-to-back RBI doubles, two of the D-backs' five two-baggers on the night.
"We were patient with balls out over the plate," Lovullo said. "We never let [Perdomo] get in a rhythm. We talked about jumping on him quickly, and we had two pitches that we were really zeroed in on. As you can see, the guys did a good job on not missing them."
SOUND SMART
With a single and a walk on Friday, Paul Goldschmidt has reached base safely in 27 straight road games, the second-longest active streak in the Majors. He is one game shy of his own personal record -- his longest on-base streak on the road spanned 28 games from Sept. 10, 2013 to May 7, 2014.
UP NEXT
Patrick Corbin gets the nod for the D-backs against the Padres on Saturday, seeking another quality start. He's pitched at least five innings all but one of his 21 starts this season and is looking to build off his last outing, a seven-inning, one-run affair against the Cubs for his first win since June 5. He's 6-7 in 17 career appearances (12 starts) against the Padres with a 4.37 ERA. Corbin will be opposed by Tyson Ross, with the game time slated for 6:40 p.m. MST.