Hopefully tonight won’t turn into a horror film for the D-backs
Roster moves
The Arizona Diamondbacks made the following roster moves. The D-backs’ 40-man roster is at 40.
- Recalled from Triple-A Reno: RHP Yilber Diaz
- Optioned to Reno: RHP Slade Cecconi
Let’s start with the above, which might have escaped your attention, since it happened during yesterday’s off-day. The transition of Slade Cecconi from the rotation to the bullpen has not gone well, despite hopes that being able to go full-bore in shorter outings might prove beneficial. His relief ERA this year is an ugly 10.13, including five consecutive relief outings where he has allowed runs. That’s one off the franchise record, most recently done by Yoan Lopez in 2021. Diaz has mostly been a starter, though transitioned to long relief for the Aces this month. I imagine that will be the role he’ll have for the Diamondbacks down the stretch, and it could perhaps be an audition for a post-season bullpen spot.
There’s going to be a LOT of scoreboard watching going on this weekend, with all four teams in the wild-card hunt having tough series. Here’s where everyone else will be at:
- Mets @ Phillies
- Braves vs. Dodgers
- Padres @ Giants
The Mets and Braves are already under way, with both teams holding solid leads at the time of writing. So it would behoove the Diamondbacks to win tonight. Would be nice if Eduardo Rodriguez would do his part. His last three outings have seen his Game Score trending in the wrong direction, and he has yet to get through six innings as a Diamondback, with his average outing falling short of five. I’ve a feeling this may end up being another game where the Arizona offense needs to out-slug the opposition, though that’s something they’ve done fairly well this season.