Diamondbacks at Yankees
The Arizona Diamondbacks own the best interleague record in baseball and look to parlay that into a two-game series sweep when they visit the New York Yankees on Wednesday afternoon. Arizona on Tuesday improved to 14-5 against the American League with a 4-2 victory and began a stretch in which it plays 24 of 30 games against clubs with a .500 or better record with 21 of its 27 August games against such opponents.
The Diamondbacks, who are 17-8 in games played in the Eastern time zone this season, have won nine of their last 10 interleague games but remain on the periphery of National League wild card contention. New York, which has lost four of its last five games and six of nine, halted a streak in which it allowed at least six runs at eight contests but still owns a comfortable lead in the AL East. Yankees infielder Gio Urshela continues to wield a hot bat after going 2-for-4 on Tuesday and is 12-for-27 with two home runs, four RBIs, five runs and six doubles in his last seven games. New York's Masahiro Tanaka is coming off one of the worst starts in franchise history and takes the ball Wednesday opposite Zach Greinke, who is 3-1 with a 1.64 ERA in his last six road outings.
TV: 1:05 p.m. ET, FS Arizona, YES (New York)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks RH Zach Greinke (10-4, 2.87 ERA) vs. Yankees RH Masahiro Tanaka (7-6, 4.79)
Greinke received a no-decision after allowing one run and four hits with five strikeouts in six innings of Arizona's 3-2 loss at Miami on Friday. The 35-year-old Florida native has recorded quality starts in four of his last five outings and boasts a 0.94 WHIP - second in the majors to Houston's Justin Verlander (0.84) entering Tuesday. New York's D.J. LeMahieu is 17-for-58 with a home run and 13 strikeouts mostly from his days with Colorado versus Greinke, who is 4-4 with a 5.16 ERA in 14 games (11 starts) against the Yankees after yielding one run while striking out seven in 7 2/3 innings of a 3-1 victory over New York on April 30.
Tanaka allowed 12 runs - the most given up by a Yankees pitcher in nearly 70 years - and 12 hits in 3 1/3 innings of a 19-3 loss at Boston on Thursday. The 30-year-old native of Japan has allowed four or more runs in four of his last five starts, ballooning his ERA by 1.58. The Diamondbacks' Adam Jones is 12-for-34 with three home runs, seven RBIs and seven strikeouts - mostly from his days in Baltimore - versus Tanaka, who allowed three runs in four innings of a 3-2 loss at Arizona on May 1.
WALK-OFFS
1. LeMahieu (.332) missed his third straight game Tuesday with a groin injury after trying to talk his way into the lineup.
2. Diamondbacks LHP Andrew Chafin on Tuesday pitched one-third of inning to become the second pitcher to appear in 300 games with the club (Brad Ziegler, 377).
3. New York is 14-0-1 in its previous 15 home series, going 35-11 in those games.