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May 22, 2009 - 4:25 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Arizona (16-24) at Oakland (15-22), 10:05 p.m. EDT

A poor run to start the month led the Arizona Diamondbacks to make a managerial change. They appear to have gained some confidence of late while fighting through a tragic loss to one of their teammates.

The Diamondbacks look to win for the fifth time in six games Friday night when they open a three-game interleague series against the Oakland Athletics.

Arizona (17-24) opened May with a pair of wins at Milwaukee before losing four of its next five, leading to the firing of Bob Melvin, the 2007 NL Manager of the Year. On May 8, the club opted to replace him with A.J. Hinch, the director of the team's farm system with no managerial experience.

Hinch didn't find much success in his new role, as the Diamondbacks went 1-6 before ending a season-high four-game slide with a 12-0 win at Atlanta on Saturday. That victory started a 4-1 stretch for the club.

The Diamondbacks won again Thursday when Mark Reynolds hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning en route to a 4-3 victory over Florida.

"We're playing with more confidence," Hinch said. "We got our swagger back a little bit. It's good to see the guys smile and shake hands on the field after the game."

Success in that four-game set was bittersweet, however. Hinch said the Diamondbacks played with "heavy hearts" after Scott Schoeneweis' wife was found dead Wednesday at the couple's home in suburban Phoenix. The reliever was placed on the bereavement list Thursday, and police haven't determined the cause of death.

"It's impossible for any of us to not think about Scott and his family," Hinch said. "On the professional side, the schedule doesn't stop. We have to play and find a way to play a baseball game time and time again."

The Diamondbacks are expected to recall Billy Buckner (0-0, 15.75) from Triple-A Reno before Friday's game to give the right-hander his first start since a road loss with Kansas City against the Chicago White Sox on Sept. 27, 2007.

Buckner is 1-2 with a 6.49 ERA in five career starts. He hasn't been good out of the bullpen this season, allowing seven runs and seven hits in four innings over three relief appearances before Arizona sent him to Reno on April 14.

Buckner, who has never faced Oakland (15-23), showed some improvement in the minors, going 2-2 with a 3.81 ERA in seven games - five starts.

Arizona went 6-9 in interleague play last season, including two wins in three games against the Athletics from June 17-19. The Diamondbacks also swept a three-game set in their last trip to Oakland from June 30-July 2, 2006.

The A's, who went 10-8 against the NL last year, are looking to rebound from Thursday's 6-5 loss at Tampa Bay that was capped by the bullpen allowing three runs in the bottom of the ninth.

The Rays give the ball to 21-year-old Trevor Cahill (2-3, 5.01), who is looking to rebound from his shortest outing of the season.

The rookie right-hander was reached for seven runs and seven hits in 2 1-3 innings of an 11-7 loss at Detroit on Sunday. That came after he went 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA in his three previous starts.

"Trevor just couldn't get his sinker down (Sunday)," A's manager Bob Geren said. "That's really the first time that's happened to him all year."

Cahill hopes a return home will help. He's 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in his last two starts there.