Final
  for this game

Miley, Diamondbacks close set with Cubs

Jul 25, 2013 - 2:26 PM (Sports Network) - Southpaw Wade Miley tries for a third win in four starts on Thursday night when the Arizona Diamondbacks host the Chicago Cubs to close out a four-game series at Chase Field.

The 26-year-old from Louisiana was just 4-7 on the season after a 3-2 loss at Washington on June 26, but he tossed eight strong innings to get win No. 5 against Colorado on July 6.

A subsequent start on July 11 resulted in a 5-3 defeat of the Milwaukee Brewers, as Miley allowed three runs on eight hits in eight innings - while walking none and striking out four.

His most recent road start wasn't quite as successful and ended in a 4-3 loss at San Francisco on July 20.

Miley is 3-2 in seven home starts this season and 1-1 in two career meetings with the Cubs, including a 7-2 loss at Wrigley Field on May 31.

For Chicago, versatile righty Carlos Villanueva gets his 12th starting assignment of the season in his 28th appearance.

The Dominican native has appeared in 328 major-league games, but started just 67 times - including 16 starts while pitching in 38 games and winning seven times with Toronto in 2012.

In 2013, Villanueva picked up his second win with a scoreless one-inning relief stint at Seattle on June 29. He's winless in four outings since, including a July 20 start at Colorado where he was tagged for seven runs in four innings.

He's 1-1 in 11 relief meetings with the Diamondbacks, with a save and a 1.69 earned run average in 16 innings.

On Wednesday, Nate Schierholtz drove in five runs, including the go-ahead RBI double in the 12th inning, to power the Cubs to a 7-6 win.

Anthony Rizzo knocked in a run and scored three times. Junior Lake had the other RBI for the Cubs, who have taken two of the first three games of the series.

Paul Goldschmidt stroked a three-run homer for Arizona, which forced extra innings by tying it in the ninth thanks to a sacrifice fly from pinch-hitter Cody Ross.

Arizona went 1-for-15 with men in scoring position and left 16 runners on base.

"We have nobody to blame but ourselves," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said.

Arizona won two of three versus the Cubs in Chicago from May 31-June 2 and won five of the six meetings at home a season ago.