Last season when we spoke of an "Arizona Diamondbacks road streak" it typically involved the words "losing" or "lost" somewhere in the phrase. This year (based on a note from the team PR staff), after starting the season 5-13 (.278) on the road, the D-backs have rebounded by winning 15 of their last 18 road games (.883) to give them a winning road record (20-17, .541) for the season. Since May 14, the D-backs' 15 wins and .883 winning percentage on the road are tied with the Red Sox (15-3, .833) and ahead of the Yankees (13-6, .684). The D-backs have not had a winning road mark since going 41-40 in 2005.
That's impressive.
The road streak rolls into Detroit for an interleague game against Arizona's "natural rivals". The Yankees have the Mets. The Giants have the A's. The D-backs have the Tigers. Oh, well. These two teams were left without a partner at the dance and MLB decided to spark up a (forced) relationship. At least the Tigers fans should get a kick out of seeing Kirk Gibson as the skipper.
The D-backs used up their two aces against the mighty KC Royals so for this three game set we get:
- Friday (4:05 p.m.): Zach Duke (1-2, 4.66) vs. Phil Coke (1-7, 3.95)
- Saturday (4:05 p.m.): Josh Collmenter (4-3, 2.09) vs. Justin Verlander (9-3, 2.54)
- Sunday (10:05 p.m): Joe Saunders (4-7, 4.35) vs. Brad Penny (5-6, 4.88)
Series Preview #26: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Detroit Tigers - AZ Snake Pit
Detroit Tigers: most aggravatingly decent team in Major League Baseball.