Diamondbacks Hit the Road to Face Braves
By Kody Acevedo
Aug 12, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp (left) tags out Arizona Diamondbacks base runner Chris Owings in the eighth inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
After winning four-of-six at Chase Field earlier this week, the Arizona Diamondbacks (56-57) travel to Atlanta to face the struggling Braves (51-63).
The D-backs were one win away from sweeping the Phillies and jumping back to an above .500 record, but lost the series finale 6-7 on Wednesday afternoon.
Prior to that, Arizona was playing extremely well. They scored 13 runs in each of the first two games of the Philadelphia series and took two-of-three from the Cincinnati Reds last weekend.
The D-backs are 6-4 in their last 10 games and find themselves just seven games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the N.L. West.
The team has been fun to watch as they have found a more consistent rhythm as of late. The offense completely exploded this week, scoring a combined 32 runs in the three-game series against the Phillies.
The D-backs will now focus their attention on a struggling Braves team that has gone 5-5 since losing six straight to end the month of July.
But at this point in the season, Atlanta pretty much finds themselves out of playoff contention. While they have not been eliminated yet, they are 11.5 games out of first in the N.L. East behind the division-leading New York Mets.
They are also 14.5 games out of a Wild Card spot.
Despite all of that, the Braves have been extremely successful at home. In fact, the Braves are 30-23 at Turner Field, compared to 21-40 on the road.
The D-backs, meanwhile, are just 26-28 on the road, but are 2-1 against the Braves this year. They defeated them twice during a three-game series at Chase Field on June 1-3.
Arizona has also won five of their last eight games against the Braves.
So a D-backs teams that is starting to find a little groove will square off against a Braves team that has some success at home.
We’ll see if home-field advantage will be on the Braves’ side or if the D-backs can continue their success against Atlanta.
Remember, the D-backs have not lost a series since they dropped two-of-three against the Houston Astros two weeks ago.
With that, here’s a look at the pitching match ups for this weekend: