Royals-Diamondbacks Series Preview

Jul 25, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Wade Miley (36) pitches during the first inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Simply put, the Diamondbacks must move on from losing Paul Goldschmidt for the rest of the season, and all the bad talk surrounding the team as a result of Andrew McCutchen‘s injury. After losing Goldschmidt its very easy to think that this team could implode, and win the number one draft pick for 2015.

I don’t see the Dbacks as that type of team. In May, June, and July the Snakes went 36-37, and the mood in the clubhouse seems to be positive. This team just doesn’t want to give up, and there is evidence of that on a nightly basis. Sure this team might loose 90 games, but they aren’t going to completely implode as some have suggested. I just don’t see it, especially when so many young players are auditioning for jobs. Keeping that in mind, here is a preview of the Dbacks upcoming interleague series with the Royals:

Game 1: LHP Danny Duffy vs. LHP Wade Miley

Duffy walked a career high six Twins, but allowed only one run in 5 and two thirds innings in a 3-2 Royals win. He has surrendered two or fewer runs in eight of his last nine starts. He is the perfect example of why wins and losses dont matter. He is 5-10 on the season, but has a 2.42 era. Duffy is simply not getting any run support. Meanwhile, Miley is putting together his best stretch of the season with the exception of a bad outing against the Phillies. In his last six starts, he is 4-1, with a 2.45 ERA. It will be interesting to see if Miley can continue his roll. In seven innings pitched against the Royals, he is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA.

Game 2: RHP Yordano Ventura vs. RHP Josh Collmenter

Ventura won his 8th game of the season last time out allowing two runs, only one of them earned against the Twins while striking out seven for the second straight start. He has a 3.50 era on the season. I always love when I get to see him pitch because he can really bring the heat. According to FanGraphs pitch f/x,Ventura’s fastball has clocked as high as 100 mph and the maximum velocity on his curveball is 88.3 mph, and his changeup has been clocked as high as 87.8 mph. Basically he is the starters version of Aroldis Chapman, so the Dbacks lineup better be ready. Collmenter had a lot to prove in his last start after having his worst start of the season two starts ago against the Phillies. He did better going 5 and a third innings against the Pirates, giving up three runs. He does need to go deeper into the game.

Game 3: RHP Jeremy Guthrie vs. LHP Vidal Nuno

Guthrie shutout baseball’s highest scoring offense in Oakland for six innings in his last start. It was his first scoreless performance of the season. Guthrie has a 4.50 ERA on the season. Nuno has three quality starts in his first five outings with the Dbacks after being traded to Arizona from the Yankees. Lack of run support, and bad bullpen performance has contributed to his 0-2 record.

Series Prediction: I think Miley will continue his string of quality starts, and because the Royals don’t give Duffy run support I will take the Dbacks in game 1. Ventura is hard to handle especially for a team that has a lot of strikeout hitters, so I will take the Royals in game 2. Finally in the rubber game I will take Arizona. I think the key is for Nuno to avoid the long ball. I will be optimistic and say the Dbacks will take two out of three.

One Note: The Waiver Deadline is upon us, and according to Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal, at least one Dbacks player is on waivers. Rosenthal tweeted today that the Dbacks placed Miley on revocable waivers. As Rosenthal noted, the Dbacks don’t want to trade him, and any claim made for will likely be blocked. This is nothing more than Arizona testing the market to see what the value for him is. Most teams put most of their players on waivers to test the market knowing they can block any claim.