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D-backs continue set with Athletics

Jun 9, 2012 - 3:28 PM (Sports Network) - Winners of three straight and five of their last six outings overall, the Arizona Diamondbacks continue to play host to the Oakland Athletics during a three-game interleague set at Chase Field tonight.

Sporting a better record on the road (15-14) than at home (13-16) at the moment, the Diamondbacks are trying to get back on track and whittle away at what has become an 8 1/2-game deficit in the National League West standings.

Arizona took another step in the right direction on Friday as the team slipped by the A's in the opener, 9-8, scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth to pull off the victory.

Ryan Roberts played the hero for the hosts as he delivered a two-out, three- run homer to get the Diamondbacks to within two games of .500 on the campaign. Roberts finished with three hits on the night and scored twice.

Jason Kubel and Paul Goldschmidt also went deep for Arizona, while Willie Bloomquist accounted for three hits and a pair of runs scored. Kubel, now batting .290, plated three runs in the triumph while Goldschmidt extended his career-high hit streak to 15 games.

The sixth pitcher of the night for Arizona, J.J. Putz registered his first win of 2012 as he fanned two and allowed one hit in the final inning. Starter Daniel Hudson was tagged for six runs on eight hits over just 1 2/3 innings.

Oakland starter Tom Milone made it through five innings as he surrendered four runs on nine hits, walking two and striking out five. Brian Fuentes was saddled with the loss after giving up the game-winner to Roberts.

The A's stepped up with 16 hits, including six for extra bases. Josh Reddick, Seth Smith and Brandon Inge all tallied three hits, the latter coming up with his 23rd RBI in 21 games with the A's.

Facing off against his former mates tonight is Arizona right-hander Trevor Cahill. A native of California, Cahill spent his first three seasons in the majors with the A's where he produced a record of 40-35 before being traded.

After failing to produce a win in his previous five outings, Cahill logged just his third victory in eight decisions on Sunday in a 6-0, complete-game triumph over San Diego. Cahill gave up just six hits and walked three, striking out five, as he went the distance and collected his first win in more than a month.

As for Oakland, they have Jarrod Parker set to counter on the hill tonight. A first-round pick by Arizona back in 2007, Parker, who was involved in the trade for Cahill in December of last year, was huge in his last outing on Monday when he held Texas hitless through seven innings en route to a 12-1 victory.

In that triumph, the first since May 1 for Parker, the right-hander surrendered just a single hit in eight innings of work, walked three and struck out six to even his record on the season at 2-2.

Oakland, which has a three-game series lined up against Colorado following this set, is sitting in last place in the American League West, already eight games out of contention while showing a 13-17 record on the road. Part of the problem is that the A's are having trouble producing at the plate, their 205 total runs after 59 games rank them dead last in the AL even after their offensive explosion on Friday.

Oakland's team batting average is a woeful .218, its slugging just .347, both of which are the weakest in all of baseball.

Now 8 1/2 games out of first in the NL West, Arizona has an all-time interleague record of 103-121, compared to the Oakland's 145-125 mark.