Diamondbacks at Reds
The Arizona Diamondbacks have reintroduced themselves as a postseason contender after following up a 3-7 stretch with wins in nine of their last 10 contests. The Diamondbacks aim to continue their ascent on Friday as they begin a seven-game road trip with the opener of a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.
"We're rolling right now, there's no doubt about it. We're a very confident team and we've earned that," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said of his club, which remains on the heels of the Chicago Cubs for the second wild card in the National League. Ketel Marte has been confident at the plate, improving to a robust 41-for-106 with seven homers, 20 RBIs and 22 runs scored since Aug. 3 after belting a grand slam in Wednesday's 4-1 victory as the Diamondbacks completed a three-game sweep of San Diego. Cincinnati did Arizona a favor by winning its second straight contest to salvage a four-game split with wild-card hopeful Philadelphia after Phillip Ervin's homer led off the 11th inning in a 4-3 win on Thursday. Eugenio Suarez went deep for the seventh time in his last 11 games after greeting former teammate Jared Hughes for his team-leading 41st homer.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, FS Arizona, FS Ohio (Cincinnati)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Diamondbacks LH Robbie Ray (12-7, 3.97 ERA) vs. Reds RH Tyler Mahle (2-10, 4.72)
Ray struggled in his second start since missing time with a back injury, although he improved to 7-1 in his last eight decisions on Saturday despite allowing four runs on eight hits in five innings of a 6-5 victory versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 27-year-old has been stingier on the road than at Chase Field, limiting the opposition to a .228 batting average while registering a 3.83 ERA. Freddy Galvis is 8-for-24 in his career versus Ray, who sports a 1-2 mark with a 4.09 ERA in four career encounters with Cincinnati.
Mahle put his best foot forward after being promoted from Triple-A Louisville on Sunday, yielding one earned run on two hits in 6 1/3 innings of a no-decision at St. Louis. The 24-year-old also struck out five and did not walk a batter in his first appearance with the Reds since July 19. Mahle will be facing the Diamondbacks for the first time, although Eduardo Escobar is 2-for-3 with a double against hm.
WALK-OFFS
1. Escobar is 11-for-30 with four homers, seven RBIs and as many runs scored in his last seven games.
2. Cincinnati SS Jose Iglesias went deep on Thursday, with nine of his 11 homers coming at Great American Ball Park.
3. Arizona will play 12 of its final 15 contests at home following this road trip.