The Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> (23\u201318), second place in the NL West and three games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> (26\u201315) after taking three of four from the San Francisco Giants (17\u201323), begin a nine-game road trip Monday. Their first stop is in the East Bay, where they will face the hapless Oakland Athletics<\/a> (9\u201333). In this edition of Diamondbacks Report, we will briefly review the Giants series before previewing the key details of the three games with the Athletics.<\/p>\n The Giants defeated the Diamondbacks, 6\u20132, in the first game of the series. Giants starter Alex Cobb<\/a><\/strong> was the story in this game, as he scattered seven hits across 7 1\/3 scoreless innings, walking two while striking out three. More coverage here.<\/a><\/p>\n In Game Two, Dominic Fletcher<\/a><\/strong> went 3-for-4 with a double, a homer, and four RBI to lead the Diamondbacks to a 7\u20135 victory. Evan Longoria<\/a><\/strong> added a solo home run as well, with Lourdes Gurriel Jr.<\/a><\/strong> adding a 2-for-4, one RBI effort.<\/p>\n Game Three saw another big day for Dominic Fletcher<\/a><\/strong>, who went 2-for-4 with a triple, a home run, and five RBI. In addition, Zac Gallen<\/a><\/strong> tossed 7 2\/3 innings of five-hit ball, walking two and striking out six while allowing two earned runs. The Diamondbacks prevailed, 7\u20132. More coverage here.<\/a><\/p>\n Game Four was a good old-fashioned pitchers\u2019 duel. Starting pitchers Brandon Pfaadt<\/a><\/strong> and Logan Webb<\/a><\/strong> each allowed one earned run. The difference came in the bottom of the ninth, when Christian Walker<\/a><\/strong> drew a leadoff walk and scored on a walk-off double by the next hitter, Lourdes Gurriel Jr.<\/a><\/strong> In the end, the Diamondbacks triumphed, 2\u20131. More coverage here.<\/a><\/p>\n The Diamondbacks have played 13 series so far in 2023, losing only three \u2014 both series to the Miami Marlins and their home series against the San Diego Padres. Of the remaining ten, they won seven and split three. Only once has the team lost more than two games in a row, that coming May 9 to 11 when they dropped two to the Marlins and one to the Giants. Despite their success, they fell out of first place May 1 and have remained in second thanks to the red-hot Dodgers winning 13 of their last 15 games. With the Diamondbacks playing the worst team in the majors record-wise, this is a good chance to gain some ground on the Dodgers, who are playing a division leader.<\/p>\n The Athletics have had a disastrous season already, and we\u2019re only six weeks into it. Their 9\u201333 record is below the pace set by the 1962 New York Mets, whose 40\u2013120 record was the worst in the modern era. This club has lost seven of its past eight, 15 of its past 20, and 24 of its past 30. In addition, news keeps surfacing of land purchase agreements in Las Vegas, Nevada, putting the club\u2019s future in Oakland, where they have been since 1968, in serious jeopardy. Attendance has been abysmal. A series win here would get them a few steps toward respectability but would be insignificant in the long-term season narrative. In fact, it would be more negative for the Diamondbacks than positive for the Athletics.<\/p>\n Game One is a matchup between Athletics right-hander Drew Rucinski<\/a><\/strong> (0\u20133, 8.16 ERA, 200 ERA-minus) and Diamondbacks righty Merrill Kelly<\/a><\/strong> (3\u20133, 3.18 ERA, 73 ERA-minus).<\/p>\n In Rucinski\u2019s three appearances, all starts with none as a quality start, he has struck out six, walked nine, and has a 2.093 WHIP across 14 1\/3 innings. Opponents are batting .339 against him, 96 points higher than the AL average of .243. The following table compares his percentages and his WHIP to the AL average.<\/p>\nDiamondbacks \u2013 Giants Series Summary<\/h3>\n
Diamondbacks and Athletics Storylines<\/h3>\n
Pitching Matchups between the Diamondbacks and Athletics<\/h3>\n
Game One \u2014 Monday, May 15, 6:40 pm Arizona Time<\/h4>\n