Preview, #26: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies

There I was, looking forward to a relaxed Saturday afternoon in front of the TV, when the news of Shelby Miller's impending Tommy John surgery broke. Though, to be honest, I could probably have written that post anytime since he trudged off the mound, and it wouldn't have been wasted effort - it always seemed like a near-forgone conclusion. I think Rubby De La Rosa is probably about the only occasion where the phrase "Tommy John" has been used. and hasn't then ended up having to go under the knife [as an aside, he's apparently touching 99mph in his rehab assignment. Sounds like a future closer, if ever I saw one...]

This evening at Chase, the remainder of the D-backs will attempt to find their bats against another left-handed Rockies starter, having been largely flummoxed by the one we saw yesterday. Interesting that Jake Lamb is not only back in the line-up for this southpaw, he's batting clean-up. David Peralta sits this one out, with Owings moving to right field, and Ahmed coming in at shortstop. Mathis will be Greinke's battery-mate, as has been the case for all Greinke's starts this year to date. Greinke, meanwhile, needs to get his batting gloves on if he's to catch Robbie Ray, who already has four more hits than Greinke.

It's interesting: since the end of 2007, of the nine pitchers to have had five or more hits over their team's first 25 games, four of them are Diamondbacks. As well as Ray, there was Wade Miley (five hits in 2014), Micah Owings (seven hits in 2008) and Dan Haren (eight hits in 2010). Haren's tally was the most over that period of the season by a pitcher since Catfish Hunter also had eight in 1968. Greinke has reached double-digit hits in each of the last four seasons, the longest active streak among pitchers [Madison Bumgarner is next on three, but that doesn't look hopeful...] With just one hit thus far, Zack has some catching up to do if he wants to extend the streak to five.