The Arizona Diamondbacks (8-12) limp back into town after a disappointing series in New York. After being swept by the Mets in a series that on the schedule appeared to be one of the easiest of the tough opening month, the D-backs now get to face the Philadelphia Phillies (15-6) and their great pitching staff to open up a home stands. The Phillies currently have the best record in the National League.
The D-backs will miss Roy Halladay who tore through the San Diego Padres on Sunday in a 3-1 victory in which he struck out a career-high 14 batters. Of course, the Phillies go three aces deep on their staff so for Arizona it's not like they are catching a break.
Game 1 of the series features Cliff Lee (2-1, 3.91) against the inconsistent Ian Kennedy (2-1, 5.64). Kennedy has thrown a couple of real gems this season but he also got rocked in his last home start against the Cardinals.
Daniel Hudson is scheduled to go against Roy Oswalt on Tuesday and Joe Saunders will face Cole Hamels on Wednesday.
Game time is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. local with a the broadcast going on Fox Sports Arizona. With the Coyotes and Suns season's over, baseball is all we are going to have going in Arizona for awhile, so settle in for the summer.
AZ Snake Pit has a more expansive preview of this series:
Series Preview #8: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Philadelphia Phillies - AZ Snake Pit
After a 2-4 road trip that culminated with the team getting swept by the worst team in the NL East, the Diamondbacks will now try their hands at beating the best, the Philadelphia Phillies. This is convenient, since the offense spent the weekend making the likes of Mike Pelfrey, Dillion Gee and Jon Niese look like, well, the Phillies rotation.
In case you've been living under a rock (albeit a rock that happens to have enough of an Internet connection that you're able to read this), these Phillies that are coming to town have a somewhat talented rotation. Talented enough that some people have called it "the best rotation ever assembled" before the 2011 season even began