Oakland, meanwhile, is a franchise searching for any kind of stability. Nick Kurtz and Zack Gelof are both hurt, Brent Rooker is done for the year after knee surgery, and Luis Severino is still weeks away. Their last five games have been a rollercoaster — an ugly 4-23 blowout loss to Washington immediately followed by a 15-1 win the very next night, which says more about the era of baseball they're playing than any real turnaround.
Springs still gets starts because he eats innings — his 18 starts are tied for the most in the majors — but pure volume hasn't stopped the walks and home runs from piling up. He's allowed a league-worst 24 homers, all in the last 14 outings, and by his own admission the free passes have been the issue. Facing a Diamondbacks lineup that's won 4 of its last 5, that's a dangerous combination.
Arizona's 51-48 mark still has them in the thick of the NL West race, and every game against a rebuilding club like Oakland is a chance to bank a win before tougher competition rolls back around. First pitch is 6:40 PM MT at Chase Field, and even with Carroll a question mark, the Diamondbacks have enough pieces to keep rolling against a Springs-led rotation that's been running on fumes.