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Diamondbacks-Athletics Preview

May 24, 2009 - 6:33 AM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

Arizona (18-24) at Oakland (15-24), 4:05 p.m. EDT

The Arizona Diamondbacks have parlayed a series of comebacks into their longest winning streak of the season. Facing the AL-worst Oakland Athletics may have helped, too.

The Diamondbacks look to win a fifth consecutive game for the first time in over a year by completing a three-game sweep of the A's on Sunday.

Arizona (19-24) overcame a four-run, eighth-inning deficit to rally for an 8-7, 11-inning victory on Saturday, extending its run to four games. All of those wins have come by two runs or less and via rallies, including Friday's 2-1 series-opening win.

"Come-from-behind victories are always fun," said Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch, whose team is 6-2 on its nine-game swing. "This road trip we've gotten our swagger back and our determination that we're never out of it."

Arizona is in position to win five straight for the first time since an eight-game streak from April 4-12, 2008. The Diamondbacks have won four consecutive games and seven of the last eight against the A's (15-25) to even the all-time series at 10 wins each.

Jon Garland (4-2, 4.72 ERA), however, looks to beat Oakland for only the second time in 11 chances.

The right-hander is 1-7 with a 5.62 ERA against the A's, having faced them while with the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels. His only victory came on the road on June 7, when he allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings of the Angels' 5-3 win.

Garland has been very effective for Arizona of late, going 3-1 with a 3.65 ERA in his last six trips to the mound, getting quality starts in five of them. In the defeat, he matched his shortest appearance of the season as he was pulled with two outs in the third after giving up seven runs and 10 hits in a 13-5 loss to Cincinnati on May 11.

Garland followed that up by allowing two runs - one earned - and seven hits in six innings of a 5-3 win at Florida on Tuesday.

The A's have lost of seven of their last nine and will turn to rookie Josh Outman (1-0, 3.31), who is looking for a third consecutive quality start in his first game against Arizona.

The left-hander, acquired in the deal that sent Joe Blanton to Philadelphia in July, allowed three hits with six strikeouts in six scoreless innings Tuesday, but Oakland lost 4-1 in 11 innings at Tampa Bay. That came six days after getting his first win of the season in a 7-2 victory over Kansas City by yielding one run and three hits in six innings.

Oakland hit a season-high four homers Saturday, including the 400th of Jason Giambi's career, making him the 44th player in major league history to reach that milestone. The A's, though, are still last in the AL with 29 homers.

Giambi is hitting .111 (2 for 18) with no homers against Garland.