Diamondbacks Gameday Thread, #144: 9/10 @ Cubs

The Diamondbacks have a chance to do something today they have not done in over 24 years: sweep the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The only previous time that the team did so, was all the way back in August 9-11, 1999. Arizona out-offensed Chicago 10-7 in the opener, getting 15 hits without a home-run, and survived losing starter Brian Anderson after three outs to take the second game 3-1. The finale went 11 innings, Randy Johnson getting a no-decision. Matt Williams hit a two-run double in the 11th, and Dan Plesac closed out the sweep with a 7-5 victory. But that was just three games: a win today would give the D-backs a four-game sweep.

Those are rare, not least because four-game series tend to rarer to begin with. But the D-backs have one under their belt already this year, sweeping a four-game series against the Rockies from May 29 through June 1. Again, that was at home, and vs. the Rockies, so not exactly a tough opponent. They almost did it against the Cubs at Wrigley last year, taking three before a 5-4 loss in the finale; I hope that's not an omen. The last four-game road sweep by Arizona, was in Pittsburgh from April 22-25, 2019. The Pirates were playing well at the time, coming in with a 12-7 record. But the D-backs outscored them 30-7, Zach Greinke and two relievers tossing a five-hit shutout in the last game.

Pittsburgh ended up with only 69 wins, so they really were not very good that season either. The last 4-sweep by Arizona, of a team who finished the season with a winning record, was also against the Pirates (82‐79), the previous year. June 21-24, 2018 saw the D-backs again win four straight - oddly, with a five-hit shutout to finish things off, this time behind Clay Buchholz. But to find the last four-game sweep by the D-backs of a team that made the playoffs, you need to go back to 2016. It came early in the year, from April 17-20, when they swept the Giants, who would go on to reach the NLDS, in San Francisco. Nobody who played there is still with the D-backs, though Nick Ahmed and Andrew Chafin appeared for Arizona earlier this season.