Diamondbacks and Guardians Doubleheader Pitching Matchups

Taking a dive into how the starting pitching and bullpens line up in what promises to be a long day of baseball for both staffs.

Jun 7, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt (32) delivers during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-USA TODAY Sports at Petco Park. / Denis Poroy-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks and Cleveland Guardians play a double header on Wednesday, due to a rainout Tuesday night. Game one first pitch is at 10:10 A.M. Arizona Time, 1:10 P.M. Local time in Cleveland. Game two will start no more than 45 minutes after the conclusion of game one.

It could be a good pitcher's day at Progressive Field, at least in terms of limiting homers to right field. Temperatures are expected to be in the low to mid 70's with mostly cloudy skies. There will be a stiff wind blowing in from right field throughout most of the day, estimated to be between 10-15 MPH.

Starting Pitchers

The D-backs have switched up the rotation order. Originally Eduardo Rodriguez was expected to make his season debut Tuesday night. But it will be Brandon Pfaadt going in game one, with Rodriguez starting the second game.

This makes sense for the Diamondbacks as Pfaadt (5-6, 3.97 ERA) is the team's most reliable innings eater. He's made made 22 starts and thrown 131.1 innings. He's gone at least five innings in all but one start, and the one time he didn't was because he was hit on the ankle by a come backer July 6th against San Diego.

Getting at least six innings from Pfaadt in game one will be key for the D-backs. That's because Eduardo Rodriguez will likely be on a pitch count of about 75-80 in his first game of the year. The hope is he can get through five innings, but the team has to be prepared for the possibility of a short outing in game two.

Related Content: What to Expect from Eduardo Rodríguez in his Debut and Beyond

Catching Note: Jose Herrera will be the catcher in game one, with Adrian Del Castillo expected to make his first major league start in game two.

The Guardians will stick with their original rotation order. Ben Lively, (10-6, 3.42 ERA) will start game one and Carlos Carrasco (3-9, 5.53 ERA) starts in game two. Lively has not pitched into the seventh inning of a game since May 26th, but consistently goes five or six.

Carrasco has only thrown eight innings in his last two starts and has pitched into the sixth inning just once in his last five outings. Thus the Guardians will be hoping for a bit more length than usual from their starters.

The double header could be even more problematic for Cleveland than Arizona, as they were already scheduled to play a twin bill against the Minnesota Twins on Friday.

Bullpens

Right-hander Humberto Castellanos will be the 27th man for the D-backs today. He had just been optioned yesterday to make way for Rodriguez, but was eligible to return due to the Doubleheader.

The D-backs went into Tuesday night's game likely without any of A.J. Puk, Ryan Thompson, or Justin Martinez. Each had worked two days in a row, and three of the last four. While not ideal, each of these pitchers are likely to pitch today for Arizona at some point.

The remaining relievers are well rested and available. Long man Slade Cecconi threw 56 pitches on Saturday and should be good to go for at least a couple innings as some point, possibly in game two in relief of a potential short outing from Rodriguez.

Guardians manager Steven Vogt ran out seven relievers from his top ranked bullpen on Monday. That could have been a factor on Tuesday had the D-backs got to Lively early. But the extra day of rest will have them recharged and in good shape for today.