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Surging D'Backs welcome Marlins to the desert

May 30, 2011 - 2:45 PM (Sports Network) - The Diamondbacks' recent surge has them leading the National League West for the first time this season. Next up on the agenda is winning seven in a row for the first time in over three years.

Arizona will try to accomplish that feat this evening against a Florida Marlins club that continues its road trip out west with this opener of a three-game series at Chase Field.

The Diamondbacks won the final six contests of a seven-game road trip, finishing off a three-game sweep of the Astros with Sunday's 4-2 victory. Arizona rallied for the win when Xavier Nady keyed a three-run eighth inning with a two-run double, while Juan Miranda also had an RBI single in the frame.

Arizona won for the 12th time in 13 games and is a half-game up on San Francisco for first place in the division.

"I've said all along it's a pretty talented group," Nady told Arizona's website. "And when you start playing well it goes a long way and really gets guys believing in themselves, and you dig deeper and find out what you're made of. It's a good road trip, obviously, and hopefully we continue playing well."

The D-Backs will now be looking to win seven in a row for the first time since an eight-game winning streak from April 4-12, 2008.

Joe Saunders hopes to build off his first win of the season when he starts for Arizona. The left-hander dropped his first five decisions of the season, but halted that career-worst single-season losing streak by beating the Rockies on Tuesday. Saunders hurled a season-high eight innings in that one, allowing two runs on six hits in a 5-2 triumph.

"It's always good when your starting pitcher throws the ball that way," said Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson.

The 29-year-old is 1-5 with a 4.65 earned run average in 10 starts, but has allowed just three runs over his last two starts spanning 14 innings. However, Saunders is just 0-2 with a 6.26 ERA in five starts at home this season and faces the Marlins for the first time.

He might not be getting a look at shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who left Sunday's 8-0 loss at Los Angeles in the second inning due to back pain sustained during a first-inning swing. He is day-to-day with the ailment.

"It's been bothering me," Ramirez told Florida's official website. "But it got a little bit worse with that swing."

With their shortstop, the Marlins were shut out for the third time this year as Ricky Nolasco suffered his first loss in 11 starts this season (4-1). He was touched for all eight runs on a franchise-high 15 hits over five innings for the Marlins, who lost for the third time in nine games and fell to 4-2 on a nine-game road trip out west

"I tried to get Ricky five or six innings today," said Florida manager Edwin Rodriguez. "It was just one of those days where nothing worked for him."

The Marlins sit two games back of the Phillies for first place in the NL East and turn tonight to Chris Volstad, who hasn't won since April 26. The right- hander has gone 0-2 with a 5.46 ERA in his five May starts and picked up a no- decision versus the Giants on Wednesday.

Volstad was decent in that game, yielding two runs on six hits over six innings with six strikeouts as he hurled six innings for the third time in four starts. The 24-year-old is 2-3 with a 5.40 ERA in nine starts this season.

Volstad has made three career starts versus Arizona, going 1-2 with a 5.51 ERA.

These two clubs are meeting for the first time since splitting six matchups a season ago.