San Francisco Giants vs. Arizona Diamondbacks: Series Preview #1

Rubby De La Rosa is ready to prove he is a no.2 starter. Photo Courtesy of azcentral.

Game 2: April 7th: Giants@Diamondbacks

Pitching Matchup: TBD vs. RHP Rubby De La Rosa

Game Notes: The story in game 2 for the Diamondbacks is Rubby De La Rosa.

Their is a lot of pressure on De La Rosa to perform well not only as the no.2 starter behind Collmenter, but also as the main piece in the Wade Miley deal.

Their are many people still upset with that trade, and if De La Rosa doesn’t perform, that is going to give fans more reasons to not like the trade.

De La Rosa has electric stuff, which is the main reason why he is the no.2 starter. He gives the hitters a different look the next day, and he contrasts well with Collmenter.

His fastball can reach the mid-to-upper 90’s. The problem for him is commanding all of his pitches on a consistent basis, and keeping the walk rate down.

De La Rosa looked sharp in his final spring tuneup against the White Sox last Thursday. He threw six innings of one-run ball allowing four hits and a walk, and striking out four. He faced the majority of the hitters that will be in the starting lineup.

He is mainly a ground ball pitcher, but he gave up 12 home runs last season, which could be a problem at Chase Field.

He has not fared well against the Giants in his career. He owns a career era of 6.35 in 5.2 innings. Most of the Giants hitters have never seen him, or have a small sample size of experience.

The Giants starter is still to be determined.