Diamondbacks limp into East Coast trip with 7-2 loss to Phillies

The Diamondbacks didn’t have the homestand they envisioned after starting the season 6-3.

They got off to a promising start with a win over the Pirates last Monday, but quickly deteriorated into a five game losing streak that got broken, followed by Arizona losing two of three to the Phillies, with the latest loss – a 7-2 loss – coming on Wednesday.

The Diamondbacks were finishing up a stretch of 16 straight games, a stretch in which manager Kirk Gibson noticed the team not being on the same page on a number of things.

“I would say that I don’t think we felt like we were in real good sync, certainly at the end of the streak,” Gibson said.

Gibson mentioned the recent rash of player injuries as being one of the major contributing factors to the funk the team is in right now.

“We’re trying to get in sync as a team,” Gibson said.

A Phillies offense that struggled coming into this series, came to life in a big way, scoring 20 runs in the three games here at Chase Field.

Philadelphia scored two runs or fewer in 10 of their first 16 games, but scored no less than five in each of the three games in downtown Phoenix.

Pitcher Trevor Cahill pitched 5 1/3 innings on Wednesday, and gave up six hits, four earned runs and struck out three.

Cahill admitted it wasn’t his best outing of the young season. He knows the name of the game is wins, but he also realizes that there will be days like this during the season too.

“What you want to do is the best you can every time out,” Cahill said. “You’re trying to go out there and put up zeroes regardless of the score.”

The season is still young, so there’s time to break out of this slump.

For the Diamondbacks, they will have to accomplish that on the East Coast, as they head out for a 10-game trip starting Friday in Miami, Fla., against the Marlins.

“I think we’re prepared,” third baseman Ryan Roberts said. “It’s just about grinding, keep doing what we’re doing and wait for the cards to fall our way.”