The Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> (27\u201320), second place in the NL West and 1 1\/2 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> (29\u201319) after taking two of three from the Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a> (24\u201322), conclude their nine-game road trip Monday through Wednesday in Philadelphia. There they will face the reigning NL pennant winners, the Philadelphia Phillies<\/a> (22\u201324), in a three-game series. This edition of Diamondbacks Report will briefly review the Pirates series before previewing the key details of the three games with the Phillies.<\/p>\n Game One against the Pirates was a debacle for the Diamondbacks. Zac Gallen<\/a><\/strong> had the worst start of his career, surrendering eight runs (five earned) in 3 2\/3 innings. This led to a 13\u20133 blowout victory for the Pirates.<\/p>\n The Diamondbacks rallied from a 3\u20131 third-inning deficit in Game Two. Pirates starter Mitch Keller<\/a><\/strong> had another strong outing, allowing two runs on three hits in six innings, walking none while striking out eight. But a two-run Pavin Smith<\/a><\/strong> homer off reliever Robert Stephenson<\/a><\/strong> gave the Diamondbacks a 4\u20133 lead, one they clung to for the rest of the game. Kyle Nelson<\/a><\/strong>, Austin Adams<\/a><\/strong>, Andrew Chafin<\/a><\/strong>, and Miguel Castro<\/a><\/strong> combined to pitch 3 2\/3 scoreless innings to take the Diamondbacks to the finish line. In the process, they allowed one hit and one walk to shut down any hopes of a Pirates comeback.<\/p>\n The Diamondbacks won the third game, 8\u20133, to take the series. This was a strange game, one where the Pirates had as many errors (three) as hits and more wild pitches (five) than errors or hits. Christian Walker<\/a><\/strong> had two key hits late in the game \u2014 a two-run double in the seventh and RBI single in the ninth \u2014 to put the game away for the Diamondbacks.<\/p>\n The Diamondbacks have gained ground on the Dodgers and have a golden opportunity in front of them. With the Dodgers facing a tough three-game road series against the NL-leading Atlanta Braves<\/a>, the Diamondbacks have a realistic chance to either gain ground on or even surpass the Dodgers. The overriding concern over the past month has been the performance of the young starting pitchers \u2014 in other words, the pitchers not named \u201cZac Gallen\u201d or \u201cMerrill Kelly<\/a><\/strong>.\u201d Two of these three games will be started by one of the young starters.<\/p>\n The Phillies have had a rollercoaster month since ending play on April 20 with an 8\u201312 record. They won seven of their next eight then promptly lost their next six in a row. After that, they won five straight, lost five straight, and won their next two, putting them where they are now, at 22\u201324. This puts them fourth in the gauntlet known as the NL East. A series win here is important for the Phillies if they are to keep pace with the New York Mets<\/a> and Miami Marlins<\/a>, both of whom are narrowly ahead of them in the NL East standings.<\/p>\n Game One is a matchup between Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler<\/a><\/strong> (3\u20133, 4.06 ERA, 93 ERA-minus) and Diamondbacks left-hander Tommy Henry<\/a><\/strong> (1\u20131, 5.00 ERA, 114 ERA-minus).<\/p>\n In Wheeler\u2019s nine appearances, all starts with four as a quality start, he has struck out 61, walked 13, and has a 1.196 WHIP across 51 innings. On average, he pitches 5 2\/3 innings per start and gets about 4 1\/2 runs of support per nine innings from his team while he\u2019s in the game. Opponents are batting .242 against him, nine points lower than the NL average of .251. The following table compares his percentages and his WHIP to the NL average.<\/p>\nDiamondbacks \u2013 Pirates Series Summary<\/h3>\n
Diamondbacks and Phillies Storylines<\/h3>\n
Pitching Matchups between the Diamondbacks and Phillies<\/h3>\n
Game One \u2014 Monday, May 22, 3:40 pm Arizona Time<\/h4>\n