| schedule Time and venue: | | | | second-best record in that stretch -- and haven't |
| 9:40 PM ET, June 8, 2010 | | | | dropped three in a row since their nine-game slide |
| Chase Field, Phoenix, Arizona | | | | April 21-29. |
| WATCH NOW LIVE | | | | The Diamondbacks' five-run fourth inning was the |
| WATCH NOW LIVE | | | | difference in Monday's series opener. Atlanta cut a |
| WATCH NOW LIVE | | | | 7-1 deficit in half, but lost 7-4 after it couldn't |
| Braves-Diamondbacks Preview | | | | capitalize when Arizona closer Chad Qualls loaded |
| With three wins in four games back home, the | | | | the bases in the ninth. |
| Arizona Diamondbacks are starting to erase the | | | | "We'll take it," Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch |
| painful memories of an 0-9 road trip. | | | | said. "It wasn't necessarily pretty or how we |
| Edwin Jackson, however, would change nothing | | | | drew it up but look, at this point, the way that |
| about his own performance to end the trip. | | | | the bullpen has thrown throughout the year, I'm |
| Jackson hasn't been given a run of support in | | | | going to take the zero." |
| consecutive strong road efforts, but he'll have | | | | While Jackson has been going deep into games |
| nine shutout innings to build off Tuesday night as | | | | recently, the Braves' Kris Medlen (3-1, 2.79) is |
| he looks to get some offensive help against the | | | | coming off the longest start of his young career. |
| Atlanta Braves. | | | | The right-hander pitched seven scoreless innings |
| Arizona (23-35) scored 17 runs during the longest | | | | Thursday against Los Angeles, and though he was |
| road trip without a win in franchise history, but | | | | charged with three runs -- two earned -- and got |
| two impressive outings from Jackson (3-6, 5.33 | | | | just one out before exiting in the eighth, Atlanta |
| ERA) provided a silver lining. | | | | held on for a 4-3 win. |
| He gave up three runs over seven innings in a 5-0 | | | | That performance was enough to get Dodgers |
| loss at San Francisco, and was even better | | | | manager Joe Torre's attention. |
| Wednesday at Los Angeles. The right-hander | | | | "I was very impressed with the number of |
| limited the Dodgers to three hits over nine | | | | strikes he threw," Torre said. "He located very |
| scoreless innings, though the Diamondbacks again | | | | well, and that fastball-changeup combination gets it |
| wasted his dominant effort in a 1-0, 14-inning loss. | | | | off the fat of the bat. That was pretty |
| "It was the best game of the year for him," | | | | impressive." |
| manager A.J. Hinch said. "We rode him pretty hard | | | | Also impressive was Medlen's previous start in |
| today, and he stepped up. I mean, nine innings of | | | | Arizona. He gave up one run and four hits over |
| shutout baseball -- what more can you ask our of | | | | six innings while striking out nine on May 31, 2009, |
| a starting pitcher? He did it with guts, he did it | | | | in a 9-3 victory, his first in the majors. |
| with swagger and he came right after them. He | | | | Atlanta's Chipper Jones could return Tuesday |
| never let up off the gas pedal." | | | | after the six-time All-Star has missed five games |
| After going 1-5 with a 7.43 ERA through eight | | | | with a swollen right ring finger, and that could be |
| starts, Jackson is 2-1 with a 2.27 ERA over his | | | | good news for a struggling Jason Heyward. |
| last four -- lasting at least seven innings in each. | | | | The star rookie has been in Jones' customary No. |
| He's only pitched three innings of relief in his | | | | 3 spot the past five games, and the experiment |
| career against Atlanta (33-25), which is in the rare | | | | isn't going well. Heyward is 2 for 21 with 10 |
| position of trying to avoid a third straight loss. The | | | | strikeouts so far on the Braves' 11-game trip. |
| Braves are 24-11 since May 1 -- the majors' | | | | |