#Diamondbacks vs. Padres prediction: Arizona the pick

The NL West has been dominated the past seven seasons by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but two teams trying to dethrone them — the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres — will be squaring off against each other Sunday.

Despite a 3-6 record as a rookie in 2019, Zac Gallen performed well, giving up 0.9 home runs per nine innings while posting a 2.81 ERA in a season that saw him traded from Miami to Arizona.

On the other side, Garrett Richards has made just 31 starts the past four season with the Padres and Los Angeles Angels going 6-10 with 3.8 walks per nine innings and a 3.36 ERA. He made just three of those starts in 2019 and posted an 8.31 ERA in 8²/₃ innings.

The Diamondbacks will be sending at him a revamped lineup headlined by offseason acquisitions Kole Calhoun and Starling Marte, who hit a combined 56 home runs in 2019.

Arizona was sixth in MLB in fielding percentage while the Padres were in the bottom five while turning the second-fewest double plays in 2019. This should give the D’backs’ young starter all the tools necessary to get a road win in his first start of 2020.

The play: Diamondbacks.