Diamondbacks Return Home, Host Braves

After a disappointing road trip that saw the Diamondbacks go 2-4 over the past week, Arizona returns to Chase Field hoping to turn the page as they begin a three-game series with the Atlanta Braves.

The D-backs wrapped up a weeklong road trip Sunday that included being swept by the St. Louis Cardinals and losing 6-7 to the Milwaukee Brewers in a 17 inning game.

It was a bumpy ride to say the least and the D-backs are probably looking forward to being home for the next week.

Although, Arizona has played better out on the road this year than they have at Chase, but not by much. The D-backs are 11-13 at home so far and 12-13 out on the road.

That’s pretty much what you would expect from a team that is three games below .500 (23-26) and now six games out of first in the NL West.

But, maybe timing will be on the D-backs side for this series.

Atlanta is rolling into town at the tail end of a week-and-a-half long, 10 game road trip. They’ve made stops out West in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

They lost two out of three to the Dodgers and split a four game series with the Giants after dropping the first two games.

The Braves are currently 25-25 this season and are three games back in the NL East.

Monday night’s game marks the first time this season the D-backs have faced the Braves. Last season, the D-backs had a .500 record against Atlanta after splitting six games with a 3-3 record.

In 2015, Arizona owns a 5-5 record against teams from the NL East.

Here’s a look at the pitching match ups:

Monday:

Alex Wood vs. Archie Bradley

Wood is in his third season in the Majors, all of which have been with the Braves. He spent parts of 2013 and 2014 up and down between The Show and the minor leagues.

Last season, he appeared in 35 games and finished with a record of 11-11 and an ERA of 2.78 in 171 2/3 innings pitched.

So far this year, he’s off to a 3-2 start after nine games and a 3.50 ERA.

Bradley, meanwhile, continues his rookie season with a 2-2 record and a 5.28 ERA. In his last start against the Cardinals on May 26, he was handed the loss after just 3 2/3 innings of work where he gave up six runs on five hits.

Tuesday:

Shelby Miller vs. Josh Collmenter

Miller enters his first season with the Braves after spending the previous three seasons pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals.

2013 was by far Miller’s best year in his young career. He ended with a 15-9 record and a 3.06 ERA in 173 1/3 innings pitched.

This year, he has had a dominant start, picking up a 5-2 record after appearing in 10 games. He also owns a very respectable 1.48 ERA.

Collmenter continues to show signs of struggle for the D-backs.

Currently, he is 3-5 with a 5.05 ERA. He hasn’t won a game since May 6 when the D-backs beat the Colorado Rockies 13-7.

Collmenter walked away with a no-decision in his last two starts.

Wednesday:

Mike Foltynewicz vs. Rubby De La Rosa

Foltynewicz had a brief cup of coffee with the Houston Astros last season. After appearing in 16 games, he was unable to pick up a win and was sent down to the minors with 0-1 MLB record and a 5.30 ERA in 18 2/3 innings of work.

This year, he has picked up three big league wins and owns a 3-2 record with a 3.96 ERA.

De La Rosa’s last three starts have resulted in no-decisions. His last win came back on May 12 against the Washington Nationals.

In his last outing against the Brewers, De La Rosa threw five innings and gave up four runs on six hits. He also walked two and struck out four.