Trevor Cahill has gotten his Diamondbacks career off to a great start. He'll look to pick up a second straight win this evening when Arizona continues a four-game series with the Atlanta Braves.
Acquired this offseason from the Athletics, Cahill has turned in a pair of one-run outings to kick off his 2012 campaign. He walked six in a season- opening no-decision on April 10 in San Diego, then beat the Rockies in Colorado on Sunday after scattering four hits and two walks while striking out six in 7 1/3 innings of work.
"[Cahill] had it working very well," said Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson. If he, as I expect him to, improves on his control, it will be very good for us."
The 24-year-old righty faces the Braves for the first time in his career.
The Braves counter with Brandon Beachy, who has been charged with just one unearned run over his first 12 innings. He lost his first start in Houston on April 9 after yielding four runs total, but beat the Brewers on Sunday at home. The right-hander allowed just one unearned run in seven innings, scattering three hits and two walks while striking out six.
Beachy, 25, will face the Diamondbacks for the second time in his career and won the first encounter. He gave up a run on four hits over six innings with seven strikeouts.
The Braves won the opener on Thursday with a 10-2 rout, their fourth straight victory over the Diamondbacks and first in Arizona since June 10. 2010. Freddie Freeman sparked Thursday's barrage with a pair of two-run homers and drove in five runs total.
The red-hot Freeman has three homes in his past two games and is 7-for-13 over his last three with three doubles, five runs scored and 10 RBI.
"Everybody is hitting. It's something we couldn't say last year. Everybody wasn't clicking at the same time, and that's what we're doing right now," Freeman said.
The Braves clubbed 16 hits, including three from Dan Uggla and two apiece from Michael Bourn, Brian McCann, Jason Heyward and Juan Francisco.
Mike Minor (2-1) was the benefactor, giving up just two runs -- one earned -- on five hits with nine strikeouts over a career-high eight frames. Atlanta has won three straight and eight of its past nine overall.
Chipper Jones was held out of the starting lineup on Thursday because fluid formed in his surgically repaired left knee. His status for this game is unknown.
The Diamondbacks are dealing with their own injury issues as the red-hot Chris Young is on the disabled list due to a right shoulder injury, while Justin Upton has sat out three in a row due to a sprained left thumb. Minus those outfielders, A.J. Pollack and starter Todd Collmenter had the only two RBI in Thursday's loss.
Collmenter took the loss, giving up four runs on six hits with four strikeouts and one walk in 5 1/3 innings.
"We've been through [injury trouble] before. It's not fun to be a part of it," Gibson said. "We went through it last year, sometimes in baseball you have to take your lumps."
Arizona has lost three in a row and five of seven.
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