Merrill Kelly Scratched, Slade Cecconi Called up to Start Sunday

The last minute switch comes as a surprise, and could make it harder for the D-backs to salvage a spit in the four game series finale

Slade Cecconi MLB Debut Aug 2, 2023 against the Giants at Oracle Park / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Roster Moves: The Diamondbacks scratched starter Merrill Kelly for today's game. As of this writing, there are no updates as to why. They recalled RHP Slade Cecconi and optioned reliever Justin Martinez back to Triple-A Reno.

The Diamondbacks' early season results have been marked by inconsistency. They come into Sunday's contest with a 10-12 record, the same as their opponent the San Francisco Giants. The Giants took game one of the four-game series 5-0 and game three by a score of 7-3. The D-backs broke out for a 17-1 victory on Saturday and will look to salvage a series split today.

Pitching Matchups

Slade Cecconi, RHP, 0-1, 4.33 ERA , 4.37 FIP in 27 IP (2023)

Cecconi made his major league debut in Oracle Park on August 2nd of last year, going 4.2 innings and giving up two runs in a no-decision. In four starts in the PCL for Reno this year he has a 4.58 ERA in 19.2 innings. In his most recent start on April 16th, he went six innings and gave up just one run to the Salt Lake Bees. Having thrown 89 pitches in that game and 88 the game before, Cecconi is fully stretched out.

Jordan Hicks, RHP, 2-0, 1.57 ERA, 3.14 FIP in 23 IP

Hicks was signed by the Giants this past off-season and was converted from a reliever into a starter. Previously relying on a 100 MPH sinker when pitching in relief, Hicks has dialed back the velocity to a still high average of 95.7 MPH, while expanding his use of his sweeper and split-finger.

That's resulted in a dramatic drop in both his walk and strikeout rates. He's pitching with far better control and relying on his defense. Hicks will be a tough customer for a lineup that has struggled against right-hand pitching this year.

Lineups

Starting lineups for the Arizona Diamondbacks (10-12) and San Francisco Giants (10-12) on April 21, 2024 at Oracle Park, San Francisco, California. / Michael McDermott

Christian Walker is 2-4 with a walk in his career against Hicks. That includes a homer back in 2022. Joc Pederson is hitless with six strikeouts against the flamethrower, however. Blaze Alexander is playing shortstop and batting ninth.

Former Diamondbacks Nick Ahmed has raised his batting average from .268 to .292 during this series by going 4-9 with a double that just missed being a homer. He is second among MLB shortstops with +4 Defensive Outs Above Average and his stellar defense has been on display throughout this series. Motivated to show his former team they made a mistake in letting him go, he's doing just that so far in this young season.