SPORTSTICKER NL PREVIEW (SAN DIEGO-ARIZONA) PHOENIX (Ticker) -- The Arizona Diamondbacks look to improve on the best home record in the majors tonight when they open a three-game set against the struggling San Diego Padres. Arizona went 3-4 on its road trip to San Francisco and Colorado but should be happy to get back to Bank One Ballpark, where it is 14-5. The Diamonbacks are 11 games ahead of last season's pace. They were 13-32 after 45 games last year. Winless in his last five starts, Andy Benes (2-5, 6.19 ERA) seeks to stop a personal three-game losing streak as he takes the mound for Arizona. The righthander has surrendered 16 earned runs and 31 hits in his last five outings, spanning 33 2/3 innings. But the Diamondbacks have lost his last four starts, scoring just nine runs in that span. Benes won at San Diego on April 23, allowing four runs and seven hits over six innings in a 10-6 victory. He improved to 3-2 lifetime against his former team. The Padres have lost six of their last eight games, scoring just 22 runs in that span. Andy Ashby (5-2, 3.70) hopes to bounce back from one of his worst outings of the season for San Diego. He was ripped for six runs and five hits and tied a season high with five walks in five innings, but escaped with a no-decision in a 7-6 win over St. Louis. It was just the third time in nine starts he allowed more than three runs. But Ashby has a pair of factors in his favor tonight. The righthander has been excellent in four road starts this season, going 3-0 while surrendering just seven runs with five walks and 16 strikeouts over 26 innings. Ashby was almost as good against Arizona last season, yielding three earned runs with five walks and 19 strikeouts over 23 innings to go 2-1. The Diamondbacks took two of three from the Padres in April.  