Blame Ben for this headline. 🙂
Record: 9-11-1. Change on 2022: -1.
Starter Ryne and reliever Kyle Nelson combined to pitch five innings of one-run ball this afternoon at Salt River Fields, as the D-backs beat their housemates from Colorado. Ryne Nelson went 4.1 innings, allowing four hits and a walk with six strikeouts, but holding the Rockies to a run. Kyle then took over with one out in the fifth, and struck out two batters around a single. Luis Frias allowed a run on two hits in the sixth, before Andrew Chafin stranded the bases loaded. He and Zach McAllister each recorded two outs; Claudio Vargas worked a scoreless eighth, and Tyler Ferguson picked up the save with a 1-2-3 ninth. All told the Diamondbacks recorded 13 strikeouts, while recording only two walks.
Arizona took the lead in the top of the third, on a Kyle Lewis RBI double. After the Rockies tied it in the bottom of the frame, the D-backs used a three-spot in the fifth to pull ahead for good. Diego Castillo – back in the line-up after his collision with Geraldo Perdomo, who also played and had two hits – homered and Lewis drove in two more, with his second double of the afternoon. In six games, Lewis now has a line of .500/.556/1.063, so is definitely making a strong case for a roster-spot on Opening Day. Yairo Munoz got two hits. Perhaps most interestingly was Perdomo’s home-run that wasn’t: because it came on a pitch called a ball due to a pitch-clock violation. Should have been allowed to decline that, I feel!
The team stays at Salt River for a game tomorrow afternoon against the Guardians. It’ll be World War Z, with Zac Gallen going up against Zach Plesac. And we have Zack Greinke coming to SRF on Sunday for the Royals, to complete the set of spellings!