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Robbie Ray
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Jordan Lyles
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No line-up as yet available, since I'm writing this while the first part of the double-header is still under way, the Diamondbacks having done a really good job of pounding the Rockies' pitching into submission. With Colorado's starter having lasted only two innings, their bullpen will already be wheezing, after six relief pitchers were used to throw seven frames and approaching 140 pitches. At least three will be unavailable for the night-cap, which limits their optionsin terms of relief pitching. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks got seven innings out of Josh Collmenter, though his ERA probably won't thank them for that!
The Arizona bats certainly woke up - well, everyone's except Paul Goldschmidt! You won't see many ohfer fives with four strikeouts from Goldie this season! But if he's going to do that, best if it happens on a date when the rest of our top four starters went 8-for-13 with four walks, eight runs and eight RBI. Hopefully, some of this will carry forward into the second game, because there's nothing worse than splitting a double-header, where you crush the opposition in aggregate score. Well, actually, being swept in a double-header would probably count as worse, I guess. Yay for literary hyperbole!
Keen to see what Ray will bring to the table. I suspect it's going to be a bit like a Rubby De La Rosa start, with moments of devastating effectiveness, but also chunks where he can't find the plate with a funnel. His time with Reno should prove good experience for pitching at altitude, and his strikeout numbers there were excellent. I would settle for six innings of three-run ball, especially if the way our hitters took to the opposing pitching during the early going in the first game. However, this is the game more likely to be threatened by the weather, so we'll see if Ray's debut for Arizona even becomes an official game!