The Latest Breaking News from Diamondbacks

DENVER — Two batters into Friday’s series opener against the Diamondbacks, it was clear Antonio Senzatela wasn’t sharp.

The Padres followed a painful rarity with something they do fairly often.

SAN DIEGO — The Padres played backward to complete a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Padres’ everyday shortstop still has not been cleared to swing a bat. Their third baseman spent Monday on the training table hoping his sprained left ankle would not send him to the injured list. The guys left in the lineup spent a good chunk of the afternoon explaining how…

PHILADELPHIA — On Saturday, Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson said that when a team is winning, things just seem to go right. Nick Castellanos will drive in a run with a check-swing double. First-time second baseman Matt Vierling will have six ground balls hit to him, and will field them…

PHILADELPHIA — Matt Vierling hadn’t played second base in a game before. Not in high school. Not in Little League. Never. But there he was, playing second base for nine innings of a major league game Saturday.

PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies’ 7-5 win on Friday night was not as triumphant of some of their previous victories. Their didn’t win it on a walk-off or score double-digit runs. But they scored just enough to protect their lead against a seventh-inning bullpen implosion, and, with that, took their eighth…

The left-hander was recently released by the White Sox after having a 2-5 record with a 7.88 ERA through eight starts. He was in the final season of a $55 million, three-year deal.

PITTSBURGH — Cal Mitchell rounded first base and pumped his fist, the emotion of the moment evident. The 23-year-old outfielder emphatically clapped his hands as he crossed home plate. In the dugout, good friend, former roommate and Saturday’s hero, Jack Suwinski, was there waiting for Mitchell after his first MLB…