Ryne Nelson Takes Turn to Keep Momentum Going in D-backs Rotation

The Diamondbacks rotation has been resurgent of late. Nelson will need to be very good in a tough pitching matchup against MacKenzie Gore.

Jun 14, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Ryne Nelson (19) throws against the Chicago White Sox in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports / Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks will play the Washington Nationals in a day game at Nationals Park Thursday. First pitch is 1:05 EST, 10:05 MST. The teams have split the first two games of the three games series with the D-backs taking the first 5-0, and the Nationals winning on Wednesday 3-1.

The Diamondbacks are 11-6 in June, and 36-38 on the season. They are tied with three teams, 0.5 games in back of the Nationals and Cardinals in the tightly packed NL Wild Card race.

Despite splitting the two games, the Diamondbacks can't help but be happy to have seen two more quality starts from young pitchers. Slade Cecconi was brilliant in his six shutout innings on Tuesday. Brandon Pfaadt went 6.1 innings allowing three runs on Wednesday, taking the loss despite his team leading 8th quality start.

In their last six games Diamondbacks starting pitchers have combined to post a 1.71 ERA in 31.2 innings pitched. Zac Gallen could possibly return from a hamstring injury by the end of June.

But Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez are not going to return until sometime after the All Star break. How effective they'll be when they do come back remains to be seen. So continued development from their young starters is critical to their playoff chances.

Pitching Matchup

Ryne Nelson, (4-5, 5.49 ERA) will try to keep the positive momentum going in the rotation. His most recent outing against the White Sox on June 14th was his best of the year. He threw six innings, giving up just one run on six hits and one walk while striking out a career high eight batters.

Nelson has faced the Nationals one time prior in his career, May 7th of last year. He was solid in a no-decision, going five innings, giving up three runs, but just two earned. He left with a 7-3 lead but the bullpen couldn't hold it, as the D-backs lost 9-8.

MacKenzie Gore, (6-5, 3.24 ERA) is having a breakout season for the Nationals. The 25 year old left-hander was fantastic in his most recent outing against the Marlins, going seven innings and giving up just one run while striking out 10. He beat the Braves on June 8th with five solid innings, allowing one run and striking out seven.

Gore throws a high 90's four seamer, a curve ball, a slider and a change up. The Curve and Slider have been very difficult to hit this year. He throws the change up exclusively to right-hand batters, and gets a lot of swing and miss with the pitch, but it's also been hit hard at times.

Gore pitched well in his only start against Arizona May 6th, 2023. He went six innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and struck out nine. The D-backs came back to win that game 8-7 after allowing five runs in the top of the ninth to blow a 6-2 lead. Pavin Smith drew a walk with the bases loaded for the winning run.

Lineup

D-back at Nationals lineups June 20, 2024 / Jack Sommers

Corbin Carroll gets a day off against the tough left-hander and Jake McCarthy will man centerfield. MVP candidate Ketel Marte will be the DH today, providing his legs and back a bit of a breather. Blaze Alexander will man second base.

Geraldo Perdomo takes a seat as well, giving way to Kevin Newman at shortstop. Newman has a career .282 batting average with a .736 OPS vs. left-hand pitching. Randal Grichuk is two for four against Gore with a homer, but both hits came back in 2022 during Gore's rookie year.

Star shortstop C.J. Abrams is out of the lineup for the Nationals. He is dealing with a wrist issue and needed to get an MRI. Losing him for any length of time would be a big blow for Washington. He's batting .261 with a .790 OPS, or 126 OPS+.

Jesse Winker has three hits in the series for the Nationals, including the big go-ahead two-run homer against Pfaadt in in the 6th inning of Wednesday's game. The left-hand hitting Winker is a tough out, especially against right-hand pitching. He has a .280/.397/.439 slash line, good for a 141 wRC+ against righties. Containing him is a key to the game for Nelson and the D-backs.

Bullpens

The Diamondbacks only had to use Joe Mantiply and Kevin Ginkel yesterday and they threw just 13 and 14 pitches respectively. Paul Sewald and Ryan Thompson haven't worked since Sunday and Justin Martinez only threw seven pitches on Tuesday. Long relievers Scott McGough and Thyago Vieira haven't worked since Saturday.

The Nationals have one of the better bullpens in the league, but had to use three relievers yesterday, including closer Kyle Finnegan. Finnegan is second in the majors with 21 saves and has a 1.72 ERA. If he has any weakness, it's when he works on back to back days. With zero days rest he has a 6.35 ERA and has allowed three of his five homers this year.