The Diamondbacks are the fourth team in modern major league history to play 18 home games in April, for all the good it did them.
After taking two of three from the Chicago Cubs in a series that ended Wednesday, the D-backs finished their April home schedule 8-10. They are 9-12 overall heading into an eight-game road trip that starts Thursday in Milwaukee. A lost opportunity?
"It is, but it's not like we can focus on that," manager Bob Melvin said. "We saw last year we got off to a 20-8 start and didn't win our division. We would have liked to play a little better. We've been at home all spring (spring training is in Tucson) and it seems like all of April. Sometimes a change of scenery is good for a team."
The D-backs won two of their six home series.
"It's not something we're going to push the panic button about," Conor Jackson said. "Obviously we didn't get off to the start we wanted to, but we had stretches like this last year in the middle of the season. We just happened to start off the season like this."
St. Louis (12-6, 2008), San Diego (13-5, 1984) and Seattle (8-10, 1979) are the others that have played 18 games at home in April since 1900, according to STATS, Inc.
DIAMONDBACKS 10, CUBS 0: LHP Doug Davis gave up two singles in seven shutout innings, and 1B/3B Chad Tracy had three RBIs in the first three innings as Arizona won its second series of the season. Tracy had a two-run double in the first inning and a bases-empty home run in the third. OF Justin Upton had a three-run double to cap a five-run seventh inning when all the runs were scored by batters who walked. The D-backs received 10 walks, and seven of them scored.
