The Arizona Diamondbacks were beaten and battered on a 2-6 excursion and have fallen a game below .500.
The Diamondbacks will look to regain their form with a six-game homestand that begins Tuesday night in Phoenix with the opener of a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Arizona’s woes began before the trip with three losses in four home games. The Diamondbacks began their time away from home by splitting two games with the San Diego Padres in Mexico City before losing two of three to the Milwaukee Brewers and being swept in a three-game set by the Chicago Cubs.
Arizona lost the last four games by a cumulative 29-10 score. They allowed 13 runs in both of the setbacks in Milwaukee, sandwiched around a 6-2 victory.
“Bad,” shortstop Geraldo Perdomo told reporters. “Really bad. Win two out of eight? That’s not us. It was really bad. It was a disaster.”
The plunge is alarming after the Diamondbacks got off to a solid 13-8 start.
But they have since lost nine of 12 games, allowing 10 or more runs four times and scoring two or fewer runs on four occasions.
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo expects a turnaround to occur immediately.
“I stand before you guys every single day and tell you that we’re working hard and things are going to turn, and we’re going to have good days. And I’m going to continue to believe in that,” Lovullo said. “Because I see how hard these guys work, and I think they just get frustrated when they don’t have results. We’ve got to get the tide to turn a little bit. … I’ll expect their absolute best on Tuesday.”
One Arizona player performing at a premium is first baseman Ildemaro Vargas, who was the National League Player of the Month for March/April.
The 34-year-old journeyman had his 27-game hitting streak end on Saturday. The switch-hitter leads the NL with a .382 batting average and leads the Diamondbacks with six homers and 21 RBIs.
Pittsburgh is coming off a three-game sweep of the visiting Cincinnati Reds. The Pirates scored 26 runs while winning the first two games and then prevailed 1-0 in Sunday’s series finale.
Rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin drove in the lone run with a two-out double in the bottom of the eighth.
Griffin was disappointed at the timing of the hit. Right-hander Braxton Ashcraft pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings before exiting, so the victory went to left-handed reliever Gregory Soto.
“He deserved it,” Griffin said of Ashcraft. “I wish we could have gotten it for him a little earlier, but he pitched his tail off and we tried to back him up the best we can.”
Griffin, who turned 20 on April 24, is batting .262 with two homers and 16 RBIs in 29 games since being promoted to the majors. He was the No. 9 pick in the 2024 draft.
Oneil Cruz leads the Pirates with nine homers and 28 RBIs.
Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0, 3.03 ERA) starts for Arizona and he is coming off a no-decision against the Milwaukee Brewers last Wednesday. He gave up two runs and five hits over 4 2/3 innings in a game the Diamondbacks won 6-2.
Rodriguez, 33, is 1-1 with a 4.41 ERA in three career starts against the Pirates. Brandon Lowe (4-for-20) has three homers off Rodriguez while striking out 11 times, and Bryan Reynolds is 3-for-6.
Rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler (1-3, 4.97) will be on the mound for Pittsburgh. He has allowed nine runs over nine innings while losing each of his past two outings.
In his turn, Chandler gave up three runs and three hits over five innings while losing 5-4 to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Chandler, 23, has never faced the Diamondbacks or any of their hitters.
–Field Level Media
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