Diamondbacks return home on a roll to face Phillies

PHOENIX -- The resurgent Arizona Diamondbacks flew into Philadelphia last weekend and swept a three-game series, further enhancing their status as one of baseball's biggest surprises of 2017.

If an Arizona team that owns the best home record in the major leagues can repeat that success against the team with the worst record this weekend at Chase Field, the Diamondbacks will take another stride toward achieving what was unthinkable in March.

And that's to play into October.

Their 26-9 record at Chase is a major reason the Diamondbacks are making a much faster-than-expected rebound from a three-season slide in which they averaged 91 losses. They've won 11 of their last 12 at home before increasingly larger and more excited crowds.

And a team that's quickly learned how to win at home under new manager Torey Lovullo also is showing it's not entirely dependent on winning in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks went 7-1 on an eight-game road trip that ended with a 10-3 win Thursday at Colorado -- the best winning percentage (.889) on a three-city trip in the franchise's 20-year history.

The Diamondbacks went into hitter-friendly Coors Field and outslugged the formerly first-place Rockies, following a 16-5 victory Wednesday that included a 10-run fourth inning with another double-digit effort barely 12 hours later. Paul Goldschmidt had a three-run homer and drove in four runs on Thursday, a night after Brandon Drury drove in six.

"This group went out and made a statement," Lovullo said. "We won two of three here, and that was very positive for this ballclub ... we have the ability to score runs quickly. The road trip was very successful."

Jeremy Hazelbaker said the Diamondbacks are building the confidence that good teams possess.

"It shows what we can do throughout the lineup, whatever lineup is out there," the former Cardinals outfielder said. "We can play, we can bang (out hits), we can go out there with the best team and can compete every day. We're playing real good baseball."

Still, Lovullo doesn't want those 26 runs in two games, a 46-27 record that's the best to date in franchise history and the successful road trip to overshadow what's up next.

"We don't want to get distracted by anything other than the Phillies coming into Chase Field," Lovullo said.

Perhaps for good reason, too. Despite being 25 games below .500 this season, the Phillies (23-48) have won four straight in Phoenix, and they were 5-1 winners over St. Louis at home Thursday.

Lovullo will send left-hander Patrick Corbin (6-6) to the mound to oppose rookie Mark Leiter Jr. (0-0), who will be making his first major league start in the first game of a four-game series. It's also the start of a 10-game homestand for Arizona, which has played only six home games in June to date -- going 5-1.

Corbin was in line to start Thursday at Colorado, but Lovullo bumped him back a day partly because he is 5-1 with a 3.45 ERA this season at Chase Field. Corbin gave up four runs (two earned) in six innings of a 5-4 victory over the Phillies last Friday.

The only Phillies batter who has had more than three at-bats against Corbin is Howie Kendrick, who is 6-for-19 (.316) against him.

Leiter, a right-hander, was 1-0 in five games, including three starts, at Triple-A Lehigh Valley before rejoining the Phillies on Thursday. He had a 4.74 ERA in 12 appearances for Philadelphia earlier this season.

Leiter's dad pitched for seven teams in the majors from 1990 to 2001, going 65-73.

While the Phillies have won only twice in their last 15 games, their starting pitching is improving. Aaron Nola allowed one run and four hits and struck out eight in 7 1/3 innings Thursday, the fifth consecutive quality start for a Phillies starter.

"What the starters are doing right now is giving us a chance to win," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I'm happy with the performance of our (last few) guys."