:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/36857946/453123420.0.jpg)
 |
Josh Collmenter
|
 |
T.J. House
|
| Ender Inciarte - CF | Jason Kipnis - 2B |
| Cliff Pennington - SS | Jose Ramirez - SS |
| David Peralta - RF | Michael Brantley - CF |
| Mark Trumbo - 1B | Carlos Santana - 1B |
| Aaron Hill - 2B | Yan Gomes - C |
| Miguel Montero - C | Lonnie Chisenhall - 3B |
| Alfredo Marte - LF | Zach Walters - DH |
| Jake Lamb - 3B | Chris Dickerson - LF |
| Jordan Pacheco - DH | Tyler Holt - RF |
| Josh Collmenter - RHP | T.J. House - LHP |
Into the land of designated hitter go Arizona, albeit only for two games in Cleveland. This is actually the soft underbelly of the road trip, as the other eight games are against teams at or above .500, part of a stretch of 13 games in 13 days which will likely tax the bullpen's stamina. Maybe that's why Andrew Chafin has, as yet, been entirely invisible, since being called up from Reno on the 8th. Or, perhaps, he'll replace Vidal Nuno for tomorrow's game against the Indians, but the club don't want to tip their hand in advance? Considering Chafin's last relief appearances were in high-A ball, that's not implausible.
Today, we see Jordan Pacheco occupy the DH spot, but it's perhaps significant that our designated hitter is batting ninth in the line-up. I'm a little surprised we're not using Mark Trumbo in that role, since Pacheco has more major-league experience at first-base than any other spot on the diamond. I guess this means the team prefer Trumbo defensively. Probably the first time that sentence has ever been written in preview history, though Mark has acquitted himself well enough there so far, and has a lot more starts at first than Pacheco overall.
Some question about the weather in Cleveland tonight, with the forecast calling for an 80% chance of rain. How much that might amount to, and whether it will affect the game - either delaying first pitch, or thereafter - remains to be seen. At least, if there is a rain-out, it appears the D-backs players will not be short of entertainment options, with everything from arcade games to old-school Nintendo to even more retro forms of amusement available:
Meanwhile, @MarteAlfredo and Eury De La Rosa prefer more classic games. pic.twitter.com/MM6YUmTBtI
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 12, 2014