Opposite dugout: Padres hoping busy offseason pays dividends in NL West

Manager: Bud Black (9th season)

Record: 18-17

Last 10 games: 5-5

Who to watch: LF Justin Upton (.276, 8 HR, 24 RBIs), CF /1B Wil Meyers (.291, 5 HR, 19 RBIs), RF Matt Kemp (21 RBIs), RHP Andrew Cashner (1-6, 3.07 ERA, 45 Ks in 44 IP), RHP Craig Kimbrel (10 saves)

Season series vs. Nationals: First meeting (3-4 in 2014)

Pitching probables:

May 14: RHP Doug Fister vs. RHP Tyson Ross, 10:10 p.m., MASN
May 15: RHP Jordan Zimmermann vs. RHP Odrisamer Despaigne, 10:10 p.m., MASN2
May 16: RHP Max Scherzer vs. RHP Andrew Cashner, 8:40 p.m., MASN2
May 17: RHP Stephen Strasburg vs. RHP Ian Kennedy, 4:10 p.m., MASN2

Inside the Padres:

No team was more active in the offseason than the Padres, who seemingly remade their entire roster with a flurry of trades and a couple of free agent signings that vaulted them from National League West also-rans to contenders in a matter of weeks. Offensively, at least, the additions have produced almost immediate results, even if the Friars are just teetering around the .500 mark in the competitive NL West, where the Dodgers have a five-game lead. Part of the reason is their early schedule: San Diego has played 28 if its 35 games against teams with records above .500, and though they come home after a three-city, nine-game trek to start a four-game series with the Nats tonight, thier next 11 games are against winning teams.

The newcomers have been a key to the offensive resurgence, with the Friars third in the NL in runs scored (161), tied for third in runs (308) and third in stolen bases (28). Most of the rest of the Padres' batting numbers are middle of the pack, but there is still some dangerous lumber lurking. Matt Kemp, the key acquisition in a five-player trade with the Dodgers is healthy, batting .264, and has driven in 21 runs - but he hasn't homered since going deep for the only time this season on April 18 and was 4-for-37 on the recent road trip. Former American League Rookie of the Year Wil Meyers, who came from the Rays in a three-team swap that included the Nats, has been battling a sore left wrist and was 10-for-26 on the trek with six extra-base hits. Left fielder Justin Upton is no stranger to the Nats from his days in Atlanta, which shipped him to San Diego for his walk year, and his eight homers and 24 RBIs are tops on the team. Upton has 12 homers and 37 RBIs in his career versus Washington; Kemp has eight homers and 27 RBIs facing Nats pitching.

A trade with the A's brought the Padres catcher Derek Norris, a long-ago Nats prospect, to the land of fish tacos, and Norris has been a doubles machine with 14 (good for fourth in the majors) and is hitting .295, though the recent recall of top catching prospect Austin Hedges complicates Norris' future (so a position switch could be forthcoming). Third baseman Yangervis Solarte came in a trade with the Yankees last season, and has a .280 average and 20 RBIs.

The signing of free agent James Shields to a four-year, $75 million deal was supposed to solidify San Diego's up-and-coming rotation, and he's done his part: The right-hander is 5-0 with a 3.91 ERA, but pitched Thursday night in Seattle, so the Nationals will miss him. The Padres give up the fourth-most runs (163) and fifth-most hits (308), but make up for those stats by getting strikeouts when they need them. They lead the NL with 296 punchouts. San Diego is throwing four right-handers at the Nationals over the extended weekend series, and they're all guys who rely on varying velocities of their fastballs.

Tyson Ross is Thursday night's starter, and he's the older brother of pitcher Joe Ross, one of the players the Nats acquired in the three-team trade that sent Stephen Souza Jr. to Tampa Bay. Tyson Ross has been logging some innings - he's gone at least six in four of his seven starts, reaching that plateau in each of the last two games. He's been tough with runners on this year, with opposing hitters batting only .236 in such situations (they're 0-for-5 with the sacks full) and sets up an 83 mph slider with a mid-90s fastball. At home, he's especially tough, posting a career .270 ERA in 57 games, including 32 starts. Ross' danger zone is the stretch between his 61st and 75th pitches, when foes are batting .375 this season. He's appeared in four games, one a start, in his career against Washington, going 0-1 with a 4.76 ERA.

Odrisamer Despaigne has bounced between the bullpen and rotation this season, and the shoulder inflammation that sent right-hander Brandon Morrow to the disabled list hastened his most recent switch in roles, including Friday night's assignment. Despaigne uses a straight fastball about 33 percent of the time and a cut fastball about 31 percent, but both pitches top out around 90 mph, so he's got to have movement to be effective. In three 2015 starts he's 2-1, and opposing hitters have only a .122 batting average against him at Petco Park. He'd like to forget his last start, when he allowed eight runs on 10 hits in five innings against Houston. He's never faced the Nationals.

Saturday night starter Andrew Cashner throws heat - like a fastball that tops out at 100 mph, one of four pitches in his arsenal. But he's pitched in tough luck this year, working at least six innings in his last four starts, and seven or more in three of those, without posting a victory. The red flag this season are the eight home runs he's coughed up in only 44 innings pitched; that's one more than he served up in 123 innings last season, when elbow, neck and shoulder injuries limited him to 19 starts. Lefties hit .250 against him and righties have a .250 mark this season, so he's equal opportunity tough. But there are some weird numbers in his peripherals, like a .288 average and 15 RBIs allowed with runners on this season, but only a .205 mark with runners in scoring position. He's faced the Nats nine times, including four starts, with a 2-2 record and 4.76 ERA.

Ian Kennedy lost time early this season with a hamstring injury that forced him out of his first 2015 start. His innings pitched have increased over his four starts, with a seven-inning stint at San Francisco on May 6 in which he gave up a run on six hits. Foes have hit him at a .270 clip this season, including .286 with five homers at Petco. The first inning has been an adventure, with opponents batting .313 against him this season. Kennedy throws his 90 mph fastball almost 70 percent of the time, and the opposition has five homers in only 19 1/3 innings this season, so expect the Nats to be aggressive. He's had some success against Washington, with a career 3-2 record and 2.31 ERA against the Nationals, his opponent on Sunday afternoon.

If the starters do their jobs, the Nats will see a familiar face in the ninth inning, former Braves closer Craig Kimbrel, who was sent west in a trade just before the season started. Kimbrel has been successful at saving games, but he's been a lot more hittable than he was when his uniform sported a tomahawk. Kimbrel has 10 saves, and when getting the save, has 14 strikeouts in 36 plate appearances against and a .194 batting average against. In non-save situations, things are much different: a .417/.563/.583 slash line and only three whiffs in 16 plate appearances. So his overall 5.93 ERA and 1.390 WHIP are deceiving. The Padres' setup corps - righties Kevin Quackenbush, Brandon Mauer, Dale Thayer and Joaquin Benoit - have been money, but they lack an effective matchup left-hander out of the bullpen.