Diamondbacks-Pirates preview: Can Arizona maintain momentum, overcome Skenes?

The Arizona Diamondbacks finally got their long-awaited sweep.

Arizona outscored the Washington Nationals 32-12 in a three-game set earlier this week, notching its second sweep of the season after blowing a chance at a sweep on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Lo and behold, the D-backs will be facing the Pirates once again. This time, a matchup with Pirates rookie sensation Paul Skenes awaits.

Skenes has been the talk around baseball ever since his callup in May, and no team has scored more than three runs off him thus far.

The Diamondbacks, who recorded the best July of any major league team at 17-8, will look to be the first team to truly crack the code on Skenes.

Arizona holds the third NL Wild Card spot at 58-51, trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers by five games for the NL West lead.

The team is hot, and trade deadline acquisitions in relievers A.J. Puk and Dylan Floro, plus first baseman Josh Bell, look to help the team maintain its current momentum.

Here’s what to know going into the weekend:

Diamondbacks-Pirates pitching probables

Friday, 3:40 p.m. – Brandon Pfaadt (6-5, 3.92 ERA) vs. Luis L. Ortiz (5-2, 2.75 ERA)

Saturday, 3:40 p.m. – Jordan Montgomery (7-5, 6.51 ERA) vs. Mitch Keller (10-5, 3.30 ERA)

Sunday, 10:35 a.m. – Ryne Nelson (8-4, 4.53 ERA) vs. Paul Skenes (6-1, 1.90 ERA)

The Diamondbacks were able to avoid Skenes in their first matchup with the Pirates last weekend, but they weren’t so lucky this time around.

They’ll take on Skenes this Sunday, hoping to make sense of his filth that has stumped nearly every team the rookie has faced. Skenes has 103 strikeouts in 80.2 innings this season.

Rivaling Skenes will be Ryne Nelson, who struck out nine Nationals in seven scoreless innings in his last start.

The other two pitching matchups differ in levels of experience.

Friday showcases a pair of young arms — Brandon Pfaadt vs. Luis L. Ortiz — while Saturday showcases a pair of veteran arms in Jordan Montgomery and Mitch Keller.

Pfaadt got roughed up for five runs in six innings against the Pirates on Sunday, while Ortiz allowed three runs in five innings July 26.

Ortiz spent a good chunk of the season bouncing between relief and starter roles, finally finding his groove as a starter as time went on. In five starts, Ortiz has allowed just five runs — including three against the Diamondbacks — in 29.2 innings.

Keller allowed just two runs on two hits in his last start against Arizona on Sunday. He has a 2.57 ERA in four career starts against the Diamondbacks.

Diamondbacks and Pirates hitters to watch

D-backs: Eugenio Suarez continued his tear at the plate with three home runs in Tuesday’s 17-0 routing of former D-backs pitcher Patrick Corbin and the Nationals. He went 7-for-13 against Washington and led the team with 10 home runs and 27 RBIs in July, raising his OPS from .591 to .724.

Ketel Marte, Arizona’s lone All-Star, went 6-for-12 against the Nationals and is garnering some serious MVP consideration with his play. Marte slashed .357/429/.619 in July while crushing seven home runs. Marte is batting .285 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs in 33 career games against the Pirates.

Josh Bell, whom the D-backs acquired from the Miami Marlins at the trade deadline, is 6-for-7 with one home run in his career against Keller, who the D-backs will face on Saturday. Bell is hitting .348 with five home runs in his last 38 plate appearances.

Pirates: The Pirates are known mostly for their pitching, but a few sluggers put together strong months of July. Oneil Cruz, Rowdy Tellez and Bryan Reynolds all hit five home runs in July, the most among the ballclub. Reynolds slashed .325/.391/.518 in July and is considered Pittsburgh’s best all-around hitter. He’s the only Pirate hitting above .265 this season.

Bryan De La Cruz, whom the Pirates acquired from the Marlins at the deadline, has hit 18 home runs this season, tied with Reynolds for the most on the team. De La Cruz is hitting .391 in his last 23 plate appearances.

How to watch Diamondbacks-Pirates

All three games will be televised on DBACKS.TV through channel 34 on Cox.

The radio broadcast for all three games will be available on the Arizona Sports app, 98.7 and ArizonaSports.com.