Snakes in town for three

Pads-D'backs Preview (April 24-26 at Petco Park)

MON., 4/24 -- ARI: Brandon Webb, RHP (2-0, 2.51/1.26) at Chan Ho Park, RHP (1-0, 4.86/1.44)

Key matchup: Brian Giles is 8-for-24 with a homer and two doubles for his career against Webb.

TUE., 4/25 -- ARI: Claudio Vargas, RHP (1-1, 8.25/2.00) at Jake Peavy, RHP (1-2, 4.32/1.08)

Key matchups: Vinny Castilla (4-for-10), Khalil Greene (2-for-5) and Giles (3-for-13) each have a homer off Vargas. Dave Roberts is 2-for-8 with two walks and three steals.

WED., 4/26 -- ARI: Orlando Hernandez, RHP (1-3, 6.33/1.55) at Woody Williams, RHP (1-0, 3.15/1.10)

Key matchup: With a 1-for-11 mark and five strikeouts against "El Duque," Mike Piazza will likely have the day off, especially with it being a matinee after a night game. Doug Mirabelli would then get the starting nod in Piazza's place.

CAMERON RETURNS SUNDAY, BARFIELD REMAINS IN TWO-HOLE... CF Mike Cameron came off the DL to play his first game of the season on Sunday. He went 0-for-2, with two walks and two strikeouts. More significant than his stat line, however, was the fact that he was slotted in the No. 5 position of the batting order. 2B Josh Barfield, who's been on fire since being inserted into the two-hole at the beginning of last week, remained there for the finale with the Mets. Barfield produced once again, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored. If manager Bruce Bochy continues to use Barfield near the top of the order, fantasy leaguers should also look to have the rookie in their active lineups on a regular basis. So far this season, Barfield is second on the team with his .309 average and leads the club with 14 runs and is a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen bases.

INJURY UPDATES: CHRIS YOUNG TO HAVE THUMB EXAMINED MONDAY... Starter Chris Young, who left Saturday's game after only four-plus innings with what's been categorized as a bum thumb, will have an MRI exam and see a hand specialist on Monday. Young said he has been pitching with the injury since early in the season, when he jammed his thumb during batting practice prior to his first start. Bochy told MLB.com that he was uncertain if the off-day on Thursday would be adequate rest before Young's next scheduled start on Friday at home against the Dodgers. Young owners in weekly leagues should consider other alternatives for the upcoming scoring period. ... Peavy took a ball off his right shin on a comebacker on Thursday night, but it won't cause the right-hander to miss any playing time, Bochy said. The staff ace is slated to make his next start on Tuesday at home against Arizona. ... The results from the latest MRI exam on Shawn Estes' left elbow showed it will be another two weeks before he can pick up a ball, and probably another month after that before he'll be able to take the mound in a game. Estes should be dropped immediately from all fantasy rosters.

WOODY CONTINUES TO SHINE... After striking out the most batters (9) in a game since the 2004 season a week ago against the Braves, Williams turned in his longest outing (8 innings) in about the same time span on Friday night versus the Mets. The veteran right-hander yielded only one run on four hits and two walks, while striking out three, in his second straight quality start and no-decision. Williams has been tinkering with a knuckleball, which, mixed in with several other pitches, has kept opposing hitters off-balance. He's definitely worth a roster spot in NL-only leagues and is a nice spec in mixed leagues as well. Williams' next start comes at home on Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, a team that's struggled offensively on the road this season.

GILES GETTING ON... Giles has reached base in 16 of the Padres' first 18 games via hit or walk and ranks 15th in the NL with a .439 on-base percentage. The right-fielder came through in a big way on Sunday, going 2-for-4 with a grand slam and a stolen base in the 7-4 win over the Mets. He's hitting .286 with two homers and 10 RBI on the season.

Questions? Comments? Feel free to e-mail me at dmfilip@hotmail.com.