The Arizona Diamondbacks began the end of last week with a couple of wins against the Toronto Blue Jays at home. After losing the last game of that series on Sunday, the D-backs had a tough time earning a victory this week. With an off-day on Monday, the team traveled to Colorado, only to be swept by the Rockies in a three-game series. As the team continues to struggle with analysts and fans looking at pitching, not only can the relief stand to improve, but the pitching in its entirety can also benefit from more stability. The D-backs are currently last in the National League in pitching, which should come as no surprise to anyone.
Justin Upton has been a bright spot on the struggling D-backs. Getty Images.
On a positive note, Arizona batting continues to do well, as Justin Upton is among the league leaders in batting. The team also leads the league in doubles and RBI. As for the long ball, the D-backs are tied with the Reds with the most homers in the National League. For those of us that remember the team from a year ago, it seemed that nothing was clicking for the D-backs as they were struggling on the mound and at the plate. The key for the team will be to be able to put it all together and shore up their pitching before the All-Star break and continue producing runs.
Up ahead for the Diamondbacks are the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both teams are long-time rivals, and wins against these teams could potentially help ramp up some team momentum. The first series against the Giants will be a three-game weekend series that promises to be a decent matchup. The D-backs successfully swept the short series against the Giants a week prior and will have that going for them when they arrive in San Francisco. The Giants have also been struggling as of late after starting out at the top of the National League West standings.
The following series will be against the Dodgers, as Los Angeles has won six of their last 10 games to close within two games on the National League-leading Padres. The Dodgers play very well at home, as do the Giants, and they are looking forward to the return of Andre Ethier as he gets some rehab time in the minor leagues this weekend.
Previous week’s games
05/21 — D-backs 8, Blue Jays 6
05/22 — D-backs 8, Blue Jays 5
05/23 — Blue Jays 12, D-backs 4
05/25 — Rockies 3, D-backs 2
05/26 — Rockies 7, D-backs 3
05/27 — Rockies 8, D-backs 2
This week’s games
05/28 — D-backs @ Giants, 7:15 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona
05/29 — D-backs @ Giants, 6:05 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona
05/30 — D-backs @ Giants, 1:10 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona
05/31 — D-backs @ Dodgers, 6:10 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona
06/01 — D-backs @ Dodgers, 7:10 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona
06/02 — D-backs @ Dodgers, 12:10 p.m., Fox Sports Arizona
