What a difference a week makes.
A mere seven days ago, the the Arizona Diamondbacks were riding a seven-game win streak and experiencing the thrilling high that came with upending one of the best teams in baseball. As of this morning, however, the Snakes are in the midst of a five-game losing streak and are thanking their lucky stars that the San Francisco Giants are getting beaten almost as often.
The latest in the Diamondbacks' current string of losses came while getting swept by the Atlanta Braves this weekend when both good pitching and timely hitting were relatively absent from Arizona's lineup. They're now 1-5 on their current roadtrip, a sad stat that's only blunted by the fact that the Giants have been struggling as well lately.
The D-Backs are still clinging to a 1.5-game advantage over San Francisco in the National League West, but that lead could evaporate if Arizona plays just as badly as they did on Friday and Saturday.
Good pitching and timely hitting were both largely absent from the first two games of the weekend series as Arizona was slapped around something fierce by Atlanta's sluggers.
Daniel Hudson gave up seven hits and all four of the runs in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Braves, including Michael Bourn's leadoff homer in the first. The D-Backs couldn't seem to get anyone to home plate, however, as they were 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
Meanwhile, rookie pitcher Wade Miley probably wishes he was still throwing for Arizona's Triple-A team in Reno, as he coughed up seven hits and five runs during Saturday's 8-1 defeat. Arizona's bats were mostly silent during the pounding, save for Miguel Montero's RBI double to score Justin Upton in the first frame.
Josh Collmenter fared far better in Sunday's 1-0 loss, scattering four hits and one run over seven innings in a strong performance. There wasn't much run support, however, as Atlanta ace Tim Hudson pitched a three-hit shutout of the Diamondbacks over the course of the afternoon.
Arizona (69-58) will hopefully rack up a few wins to salvage their road trip over the next few days when they visit D.C. to face the Washington Nationals (61-64). Their four-game series starts this afternoon when lefty Joe Saunders (8-10, 3.91 ERA) takes the mound against fellow southpaw Ross Detwiler (1-3, 2.87 ERA). First pitch is at 4:05 p.m. TV: Fox Sports Arizona. Radio: KTAR 620 AM. For more information, visit www.dbacks.com.
