Diamondbacks Turn to Ryne Nelson Tonight to Get Win Vs Phillies

The D-backs are going with nearly an all left-handed lineup as they look to score against Phillies ace Zack Wheeler and even the series up at a game apiece

Aug 4, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Ryne Nelson (19) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates/ during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks are set to play game two of a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies Friday night with first pitch at 6:40 PM.

They are fresh off a tough loss by the score of 6-4 against the Phillies last night in a game they could've won. They could not come through numerous times with runners in scoring position which ultimately cost them the game as they hit into three doubles and struck out four times with guys in scoring position.

Still, the D-backs are 63-53 and hold the 2nd Wild Card spot by 1.5 games over the New York Mets. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games.

A roster move was made before the game with the D-backs optioning a tired Slade Cecconi for a fresh bullpen arm in Scott McGough. Cecconi had pitched three innings last night and was unlikely to be available to pitch again before Merrill Kelly's return on Sunday. At that point a roster move will still need to be made.

Manager Torey Lovullo reiterated during his pre game press conference what he told the media yesterday. Gabriel Moreno is down for at least three weeks with his left adductor strain. The team is still working through second opinions from several doctors and Lovullo had no further update today.

Starting Pitching

RHP Ryne Nelson, 8-6, 4.65 ERA, 3.69 FIP, 86 Strikeouts in 110.1 Innings

Nelson has pitched far better than his ERA lets on this season as his FIP is a strong 3.69, nearly a full run lower than his ERA. Plus, he has allowed just 10 homers on the season, a steep decrease from the 24 of last year.

He's been pitching quite good since the beginning of July. Over those seven games, six starts, and 42.1 innings, he has a 2.98 ERA and 2.44 FIP indicating that he hasn't been lucky. He's allowed just 34 hits, 14 runs, and 10 walks to go with 40 strikeouts.

Nelson has been locating his fastball perfectly and utilizing his off-speed effectively off of the fastball to enable weak contact and plenty of strikeouts. He's managed his way deeper into, pitching six or more innings in four of those games.

RHP Zack Wheeler, 11-5, 2.77 ERA, 3.40 FIP, 148 Strikeouts in 136.2 Innings

There isn't much to say about Wheeler that isn't already known as he's a CY Young contender once again this year. Wheeler has been dominant once more with his fastball still being thrown in the upper 90's at age 34.

He's been extremely tough to hit, allowing just 93 in 136.2 innings while working walks is equally tough with only 41 allowed so far.

Wheeler is fresh off an eight-inning shutout performance against the Mariners in which he allowed only two hits, a walk, and struck out nine. However, he can be hit as evidenced by the Yankees scoring seven runs off of him in five innings two starts ago.

Left-handed batters have fared far better against Wheeler than right-handers. Rightys have hit .151 against him with a .425 OPS. Lefties have hit a better .222 against him but their OPS is significantly better at .720.

Wheeler has been slightly worse on the road with a 3.13 ERA over 60.1 innings in which he's allowed 42 hits and 19 walks.

Zack Wheeler faced the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this year and pitched seven innings in which he gave up two hits, a run, and recorded eight strikeouts.

Starting Lineups

The starting lineups for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 9th, 2024 / Jake Oliver

Ketel Marte gets a much-needed day off after struggling yesterday at the plate, going 0-4 with three strikeouts in uncharacteristic fashion. Said Lovullo, "I've got to be mindful of guys and their workload. Ketel certainly is a body and a mind that I pay very close attention to. He needs to rest......"I still kick myself for Walker and pushing him as hard as I did"

Lovullo is going with a nearly all-left-handed lineup in order to hopefully get some hits and runs off of Wheeler. Jake McCarthy is back hitting second after he went 3-5 yesterday with a two-run homer, his first at Chase Field this year. He is currently on a four-game hitting streak.

Adrian Del Castillo makes his first start at Chase Field and is set to have a large ovation when he first steps up to the plate in front of the home crowd.

Kevin Newman, who singled yesterday, is back at second base filling in for Marte.

Related Content

Torey Lovullo Gives Concerning Gabriel Moreno Update