D-backs set to finish August with six-game homestand
Aug 25, 2017, 11:18 AM
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zack Greinke warms up during the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Monday, June 26, 2017, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
Entering play Friday, the Arizona Diamondbacks have gone 10-13 in the month of August. They’ll look to end the month on a high note with a new homestand.
In fact, the D-backs were 50-31 on the season through the end of June, but have gone a combined 20-27 since the beginning of July. But on Friday, the D-backs start a six-game homestand that will give them the chance to finish a month with a winning record for the first time since June.
They’ll just have to go 5-1.
With the last-place San Francisco Giants coming to town, the task of winning games doesn’t seem insurmountable. But the Dodgers — who are in first place with an astonishing 90-36 record — will roll into Chase Field on Tuesday. The D-backs need to be playing their best baseball.
Here’s what the next six games at Chase Field will look like:
D-backs vs. Giants: Aug. 25-27
The Giants (52-77) come into Chase Field coming off a series win at home over the Brewers and a day off on Thursday.
The D-backs’ Zack Greinke (14-6, 3.16 ERA) will start Friday, followed by Taijuan Walker on Saturday and, presumably, Patrick Corbin on Sunday.
The Giants finished second in the NL West last year, going 87-75, but their fortune this year has taken a turn for the worse. Losing ace Madison Bumgarner for a large chunk of the season after a dirt bike accident didn’t help matters.
But Mad-Bum is back, and that will be exactly the name on the back of his jersey when he starts Saturday as both teams will wear nickname jerseys for Players’ Weekend for all three games.
You can see all of the D-backs’ nicknames here.
D-backs vs. Dodgers: Aug. 29-31
Though you never like to see people get hurt, it’s good fortune for the D-backs that the Dodgers are without several stars right now due to injury. Neither Clayton Kershaw (back) nor Alex Wood (sternoclavicular joint) will pitch in the series, since both hurlers are still on the disabled list.
Newly-acquired pitcher Yu Darvish is also on the shelf. Though he’s expected to come off the DL this weekend, he could very well pitch Sunday at Milwaukee, the timing of which would keep him from taking the hill in Arizona.
At present, Dodgers are listing Maeda, TBA, TBA as starting pitchers for #Brewers series. Yu Darvish expected to come off DL and start Sun.
— Tom (@Haudricourt) August 25, 2017
The Dodgers will also be without rookie sensation Cody Bellinger (ankle), among others.
If the D-backs even go just .500 in these six games, they’ll finish August with a 13-16 record and 73-61 mark overall. But what the Colorado Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers do in the next week will be just as critical to the wild card race as this Arizona homestand.
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