The Arizona Diamondbacks had a difficult task this past week, playing against a solid team and another team that they have had problems with in the past. The home stand opened against the Milwaukee Brewers, a team that has played great baseball this season. The team ended up shelling the D-backs in the final couple of games. The first game was close, but still a loss. The arch-rival Los Angeles Dodgers made the same work of the team, as they completed the sweep of the Diamondbacks at home.
These are woeful times for the D-backs, but there is still plenty of time to turn it around.
The shaky bullpen has been the story for the D-backs once again, as they try to gather up some sort of solidarity. On a positive note, the team has played better in the field than last season. The D-backs, who had 80 errors before the All-Star break last year, only have 24 errors in 34 games. What this shows is that the fielding is lending a helping hand to the pitching staff. Of course, producing at the plate can also help win games.
The team also made a move to call up Carlos Rosa from Triple-A in an effort to help out the bullpen. While the sweep at home does not rest easy with most fans, the team continues to place importance on making some progress before the All-Star break. Several of the players that were hot in April have cooled off considerably as the weather heats up in Arizona.
The D-backs being this week’s road trip in Atlanta. The Braves are in last place in the National League East, which should make for an excellent opportunity for the D-backs to regain a head of steam. The following series will be against another struggling team, the Florida Marlins, who have dropped six of their last 10 games. The Marlins are not to be taken lightly. Although they will only be playing Florida for two games, the team is graced with some excellent pitching talent.
When the D-backs return home on Wednesday after a long flight from Florida, they will face the San Francisco Giants, who have been performing exceedingly well despite preseason speculation. The Giants are currently in the battle for first place in the National League West, on the heels of the San Diego Padres.
Last week’s games
05/07 — Brewers 3, D-backs 2
05/08 — Brewers 17, D-backs 3
05/09 — Brewers 6, D-backs 1
05/10 — Dodgers 7, D-backs 3
05/11 — Dodgers 13, D-backs 3
05/12 — Dodgers 6, D-backs 3
This week’s games
05/14 — D-backs @ Braves, 4:35 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona
05/15 — D-backs @ Braves, 4:10 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona
05/16 — D-backs @ Braves, 10:35 a.m., Fox Sports Arizona
05/17 — D-backs @ Marlins, 4:10 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona
05/18 — D-backs @ Marlins, 10:10 a.m., Fox Sports Arizona
05/19 — Giants @ D-backs, 6:40 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona
05/21 — Giants @ D-backs, 6:40 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona
