Matt Harvey knew the moment he was traded from the New York Mets to the Cincinnati Reds that he was pitching as much for 2019 as he was for 2018.

Arizona was sluggish on an important trip that came to a dreadful end, when Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp beat the Diamondbacks for a second straight game.

LOS ANGELES -- A chance at a sixth consecutive National League West title is not quite hanging in the balance for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but eyebrows have been raised and the calendar is making its presence known.

DENVER -- Colorado Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland, who has been dominant at Coors Field, will take the mound Thursday in the rubber game against the San Diego Padres.

The Colorado Rockies will be riding an impressive winning streak behind Jon Gray when the right-hander starts Wednesday against the San Diego Padres.

MILWAUKEE -- Jonathan Schoop is the first to admit his first week with his new team hasn't gone the way he had hoped or expected.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs have managed to do just enough in the past two days against San Diego to put themselves in position to walk away with a series victory when they host the Padres on Sunday.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs have made the most of the month of August over the past two seasons, which led to the franchise's first World Series championship in 108 years in 2016 before the Cubs reached the National League Championship Series last season.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs used three wins over the San Diego Padres last month to create some distance between themselves and the rest of the National League Central Division.

Vince Velasquez's only start against the San Diego Padres was the best outing of his career. He will try to repeat that success Saturday night.

SAN DIEGO -- Since the Padres entered the National League as an expansion team in 1969, their neighbors to the north have regularly used San Diego as a stepping stone to success in the National League West.

The San Diego Padres return to Petco Park Monday to start a homestand against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

For the first time this season, the Arizona Diamondbacks had their big four in the lineup, although that did not keep the San Diego Padres from winning.

PHOENIX -- Right-hander Yoshihisa Hirano has been spectacularly efficient in his first season in Arizona, part of the reason the Diamondbacks will enter their four-game series against the San Diego Padres with the best bullpen ERA in the majors.

Padres manager Andy Green says make nothing of the statistic.