Yilber Diaz in Search of Bounce-Back as D-backs Go for Sweep vs Pirates

The D-backs go for the sweep with their young righty on the mound.

Diamondbacks pitcher Yilber Diaz (45) pitches in the first inning during a game against the Blue Jays at Chase Field in Phoenix on Saturday, July 13, 2024. / Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY

The Arizona Diamondbacks took the series last night, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-5 behind a steady bullpen and some explosive offense. Today, they'll go for the sweep. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m.

The D-backs sit at 55-50, just half a game back of the Mets for the final Wild Card spot. They've struggled to sweep even the weaker teams, with their only sweep coming against the Cincinnati Reds on May 9th.

Arizona will send young right-hander Yilber Diaz to the mound for his fourth major league start. The hard-throwing righty fared excellently in his first two starts, allowing just a pair of runs over 12 strong innings, but faltered his last time out.

Diaz struggled with command, albeit facing a tough lineup in the Kansas City Royals, but was ultimately tagged for nine hits, a walk and seven runs over three-plus innings. That ballooned his ERA to 5.40.

Part of this has to do with his command, as he's struggled to land strikes, but he also hasn't been able to generate deception or whiffs.

As a pitcher who profiled as a strikeout-heavy power arm, Diaz has just seven punchouts in his first 15 major league innings, a small sample size maybe, but worth only a 4.20 K/9, nearly 1/3 of his minor league K/9.

He'll need to find a way to generate whiffs, as his LOB% suffered a regression in his recent outing. Previously over 93%, that number was clearly unsustainable, and he'll need to find a way to get ahead in counts and stay in control of each at-bat, as his stuff hasn't played well from behind in counts.

Diaz rocketed through the minor leagues, and is still only 23, so his development is a continuing story.

That said, with arms like Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez growing ever closer to a return, Ryne Nelson pitching well, and Jordan Montgomery looking to get back on track, Diaz could conceivably be close to pitching for a spot on the roster in his next handful of starts.

The D-backs were able to avoid facing rookie sensation Paul Skenes, and his rotationmate Jared Jones. But they'll still face a tough challenge in right-hander Mitch Keller.

Keller has been a stalwart of the Pirates' rotation for several seasons now. The 28-year-old righty has put forward a strong 2024 season, pitching to a 3.34 ERA and 3.85 FIP.

He doesn't garner a high volume of strikeouts, but he can certainly find ways to miss bats. His extremely diverse arsenal keeps batters guessing and off-balance, preventing hard contact, and his strong command helps him limit walks.

He throws seven pitches, with a mid-90s four-seam/sinker combo. He also throws a sweeper, cutter, a hard slider and a curveball, with a rarely-used 90 MPH changeup in his back pocket.

The D-backs will need to be patient and look for the right pitches to hit, as Keller's arsenal could create plenty of confusion.

Keller has pitched seven innings of one-run ball and eight innings of two-run ball in separate starts in July, with a 3.91 monthly ERA that's inflated by a poor outing against the Cardinals, as he's allowed only five earned runs over the three starts following his (relative) blowup.

D-backs Lineup

Game 106.

⌚️ 1:10pm
📺 https://t.co/epBmrbYHsx | https://t.co/k9Xjx1ui6d
📻 98.7 FM @AZSports
🏟️ @ChaseField pic.twitter.com/2ubJndl7wS

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) July 28, 2024

The D-backs' bats have been hot, particularly outfielder Jake McCarthy. McCarthy put forward his first career five-hit night against the Pirates in yesterday's contest, hitting five singles with an RBI and a run scored. He'll hit fifth today.

McCarthy's slashing .311/.388/.433 in his last month's worth of games, and although playing time in the outfield has been limited, he's been a very consistent offensive contributor in 2024.

He's hitting .285 on the year, with a .763 OPS and 14 stolen bases. McCarthy's ability to get on base at a high clip has been a huge factor in Arizona's recent offensive output.

Ketel Marte will rest, after hitting his fourth homer in five games last night. Manager Torey Lovullo said it's just a day off for the NL MVP candidate. Kevin Newman will get the start at second base, and Geraldo Perdomo will fill in the two-hole in Marte's absence.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will get the day off against a tough right-hander, allowing both McCarthy and Alek Thomas to play the outfield.

Joc Pederson's only hitting .245 in July, but his OBP is a staggering .383, and he's slugging a monstrous .612. He's delivered two massive home runs in his last three games, and whacked a huge pinch-hit three-run triple in last night's contest, effectively helping to put the game on ice.

As is custom, Jose Herrera will take catching duties for the final game of the series, spelling Gabriel Moreno.

For the Pirates, outfielder Bryan Reynolds has yet to make his return from the bereavement list, he remains out of the lineup. Pittsburgh first baseman Rowdy Tellez exited Friday's game with back spasms and remains out.

Infielder Nick Gonzalez left last night's contest with a groin injury while running out a ground ball, he's out of the lineup as well.

The Pirates' offense hasn't been the most explosive, although shortstop Oneil Cruz sent a towering 472-foot blast to right field last night, he remains a dangerous bat in the two-hole today.

Related Content

The Diamondbacks Stay Hot with 9-5 Victory over the Pirates

Yilber Diaz Needs to Find Strikeouts, Avoid Base Traffic vs Royals