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Diamondbacks line-up
- David Peralta DH
- A.J. Pollock CF
- Paul Goldschimdt 1B
- Jake Lamb 3B
- Steven Souza RF
- Ketel Marte SS
- Jarrod Dyson LF
- Ildemaro Vargas 2B
- J.R. Murphy C
+ Braden Shipley P
Before we get to the above, Zack Greinke again got his work in on the back fields rather than in a Cactus League game.
Zack Greinke strikes out 3 over 4 innings in a #DbacksSpring intrasquad game. pic.twitter.com/xkGHmRUCuL
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) March 8, 2018
Which would be okay... except for these Tweets from Nick Piecoro and Zach Buchanan, which I’ll repeat here in case you missed them in SnakeBytes.
Greinke had trouble cracking 90 early last spring. These past two starts are odd since his velocity was relatively normal in his first Cactus League outing. Maybe he’s dealing with a dead arm?
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) March 8, 2018
We should also keep in mind that the velocity rebounded as last year went along. He probably deserves every benefit of the doubt. But mid-80s is still startling to see.
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) March 8, 2018
After his intersquad start this morning, Zack Greinke said he has a nagging fear that he doesn't have it anymore. Velo has been down. But he also said he has that fear every year.
— Zach Buchanan (@ZHBuchanan) March 8, 2018
Maybe we just need to add “Greinke velocity concerns” to our Spring Training Bingo cards, probably between “...in the best shape of his life” and “...trying out a new pitch.”
So, it’s Braden Shipley starting this afternoon in the “proper” game. He is likely one of the contenders to be #6 in our starting rotation: likely not there on Opening Day, but almost certain to be called on at some point in the season. Others vying for spot on our depth chart might include Matt Koch and possibly Albert Suarez (though the whole Rule 5 thing complicates his situation significantly). Also of note, Jarrod Dyson starting in the field for what I think is the first time, previously having DH’d.
This one is on Fox Sports Arizona, so you can follow along there.