Pirates at Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks caught fire just in time to recover from a rough three-week stretch and reclaim their place atop the National League West in large part because Paul Goldschmidt is locked into one of the best grooves of his career at the plate. The Diamondbacks seek a 10th victory in their last 13 contests Monday when they host the opener of a three-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Arizona watched what was once a six-game division lead turn into a 1 1/2-game deficit when it dropped 15 of 17 from May 9-27 thanks to an offense that averaged two runs and only topped that mark four times during the slide. Goldschmidt collected two hits on May 28 as the Diamondbacks put an emphatic end to their skid with a 12-5 win against Cincinnati, and he hasn't stopped hitting since - batting .467 with six homers and 15 RBIs during his team's recent 9-3 surge. Pittsburgh broke out of a recent offensive funk on the road Sunday, more than doubling its run output from its previous four away games combined in a 7-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs. The win was a much-needed one for the Pirates, who are 6-16 over their last 22 contests and trail Milwaukee by seven games in the NL Central after holding a one-half game lead in the division as recently as May 17.
TV: 9:40 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, FS Arizona
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates RH Joe Musgrove (2-1, 1.89 ERA) vs. Diamondbacks LH Patrick Corbin (6-2, 2.87)
Musgrove held the Cubs and St. Louis to a total of one run across 14 innings to notch a pair of victories after missing nearly the first two months of the season with a shoulder issue, but he was much less effective in Tuesday's setback against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 25-year-old gave up his first two homers of the season while surrendering four runs (three earned) over five frames in the loss. Musgrove made his only career appearance against Arizona last season, working 1 1/3 scoreless relief innings.
Corbin bounced back from the worst outing of his season to win at San Francisco on Tuesday, yielding one run while striking out seven over 6 1/3 frames to remain undefeated on the road. The New York native has shown some vulnerability over his last two home starts in giving up 10 runs spanning 12 innings but is still 4-2 with a 2.93 ERA in seven turns at Chase Field. Gregory Polanco (4-for-8, home run) has fared well against Corbin, who is 1-2 with a 5.32 ERA in four starts versus Pittsburgh.
WALK-OFFS
1. Goldschmidt is 15-for-22 with 11 extra-base hits - including four homers - and 11 RBIs over the last five games.
2. Pittsburgh is 7-3 in its last 10 games at Chase Field and 13-6 in its last 19 contests at the venue.
3. Eleven of Arizona SS Ketel Marte's last 12 hits have gone for extra bases.