Ascending Diamondbacks Take on Rivals from the East Phillies

Jordan Montgomery is on the mound against Kolby Allard in a battle of left-handed pitchers while Ketel Marte leads the offense back home at Chase Field

Aug 7, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (4) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks are fresh off an exciting sweep over one of the AL's best teams in the Cleveland Guardians. Now, they have another tall test against the NL's best Philadelphia Phillies. First pitch is at 6:40 PM.

The D-backs are in a battle for not just a NL Wild Card spot but also potentially the NL West Division Lead. At 63-52, the D-backs are just three games back of the Dodgers for the NL West lead with the Padres in between them at 2.5 games back. Realistically, though unlikely, the D-backs could be in first place come Sunday night.

As for the NL Wild Card picture, the D-backs are in the 2nd spot, 2.5 games up of the third place spot which holds a tie between the Braves and Mets. The D-backs are on a four-game winning streak, have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games and have won 12 of their last 14 games.

The Phillies are fresh off a series win against the Dodgers, but have struggled since the All-Star Break. Despite holding the best record in the NL, they are 3-7 over their last ten games. Since the break, they are 6-12.

However, one can be certain that the Phillies will be motivated to beat their rivals, the D-backs especially considering the D-backs' ring giveaway on Saturday.

Roster Move

The D-backs claimed catcher Andrew Knizner off waivers from the Texas Rangers. They optioned him to Triple-A Reno where he will serve as catching depth.

To make room on the 40-man roster, they Designated for Assignment Luis Frias, the reliever that has struggled in the Majors but done decent in Triple-A. Read more about it here.

Starting Pitchers

LHP Jordan Montgomery, 7-5, 6.37 ERA, 4.65 FIP, 51 Strikeouts in 77.2 Innings

Montgomery has struggled this year, but has kept the D-backs in games as they have won 10 of his 16 starts so far this year. His last outing came on Saturday against the Pirates in which there was a rain delay that shortened his outing.

In that outing, Montgomery looked much better than he did against the Nationals his previous time out. He pitched three innings and gave up a run but allowed one hit, two walks, and struck out three.

Jordan Montgomery has faced the Phillies once this season. In that start, he earned the win and showed his bulldog mentality as he battled hard in it. Over six innings, he allowed just five hits, two runs, one walk, and struck out five. It was one of his best starts considering the competition.

Once again, Montgomery will have to overcome some significant splits at Chase Field and against right-handed batters. Right-handed batters are hitting .330 against him and have a .922 OPS. Lefties are hitting a manageable .235 and .617 OPS.

At Chase Field, Montgomery has been bad. In 9 home starts, opponents are hitting .368 off of him. That's led his ERA to be a sky-high 8.39 over 39.2 innings. It's unclear why he is struggling at Chase Field but he will have to overcome it tonight if the D-backs are to win.

LHP Kolby Allard, 0-0, 4.50 ERA, 5.92 FIP, Five Strikeouts in 8 Innings

Allard hasn't pitched much this year for the Phillies. He was recalled on July 27th. He's made two starts so far, both times lasting four innings. In the first one against the Guardians, he gave up three runs, while in his last one against the Mariners, he gave up just one run.

In total, he's allowed four runs, eight hits, and two walks. The eyebrow-raising number is that he's given up two homers already. Both were by right-handed batters.

Right-handers can hit him and slug well if they are patient at the plate and don't fall for when he tries to entice swing-and-miss outside of the zone. If they wait for his four-seamer, he can be hit hard.

Starting Lineups

The Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies starting lineups on August 8th, 2024 / Jake Oliver

Ketel Marte is resting his legs by serving as the DH today against the left-handed Allard. Marte is on a warpath right now against MLB pitching as he makes his case to be considered for and potentially win the NL MVP.

Using avg of fWAR and bWAR #NLMVP has become 2 horse race. Ketel Marte's 10 week hot streak and great defense have closed gap w/ Shohei Ohtani

7 weeks to go. Who is better from here on out and how it affects NL West and Wild Card standings should decide this. #Dbacks #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/rkWXiSsDou

— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) August 8, 2024

Since the All-Star Break, 18 games, Marte is hitting .328/.397/.791/1.188 with 15 runs, 22 hits, a double, 10 homers, 23 RBI, nine walks, and only 16 strikeouts. He's been a one-man wrecking crew and has won the D-backs numerous games with his late-inning clutch hitting.

Meanwhile, Kevin Newman starts at second base and Josh Bell starts at first base and will make his home debut tonight. Over six games, Bell has four homers and been a strong bat for the D-backs with five RBI.

Jake McCarthy moves up to the two-spot in the lineup, replacing Gabriel Moreno who is out due to injury. It's a rare sight to see Manager Torey Lovullo put a lefty that high in the lineup against a left-hander but McCarthy is hitting .355 against them.