The Arizona Diamondbacks are fresh off taking 2 of 3 from the Colorado Rockies to improve their record to 15-14. The team is one game away from taking 4th place in the NL West. Of course, in order to do that, the team must take care of its own business. That means it's time to go fishing for the Marlins and dangle some losses for the fish to grab. The Dbacks are facing the Marlins for the 2nd time this year. They faced them last week, sweeping them over 3 games in Miami.
Included in that series were lots of hitting, crucial bullpen saves, and a MadBum bogus ejection that didn't stop the Diamondbacks from still winning. The team has added a new element to its roster for added excitement and fun. The Dbacks called up Alek Thomas, their #1 prospect on Mother's Day.
Thomas went 1 for 3 with a double in the 5th inning which led to his scoring his first MLB run. It was a positive first game for the talented young rookie who is only 22. According to MLB.com, Thomas is the 18th best prospect in the game.
Isn't Varsho the Centerfielder?
Yes, Varsho is. However, Carson Kelly is on the IL so Varsho is now the main catcher. Due to that, the team had an opening in CF and called up Thomas who should play nearly every day. Expect Thomas to fight to prove he deserves to stay up in the MLB for the rest of his career.
As for the games? Historically, the Dbacks are 93-73 all-time. They are 5-5 against Miami in the '20s.
Monday, May 9th, Marlins @ Dbacks, 6:40 PM AZ Time,
Eliser Hernandez vs Humberto Castellanos
Hernandez faced the Dbacks in his last start, pitching against Madison Bumgarner. Despite MadBum getting ejected after only one inning, the Dbacks got to Eliser. He only managed to survive 4 innings after giving up 5 earned runs with 3 walks and 3 Ks. Varsho homered off of Hernandez. Marte had a double. Peralta is 3 for 7 against Eliser too. Hernandez has a 2-1 record with an awful 6.66 ERA, 24.1 innings, and 23 Ks in that time. He's given up 27 hits and 8 walks. It's been a rough start for him.
Humberto is starting against the Marlins for his 2nd start in a row too. He got the win last time out after pitching 5.2 innings allowing only 4 hits and 4 Ks. He was dominant. He managed to keep the Marlins' batters off-kilter all game. Jacob Stallings, Jorge Soler, Jazz Chisholm, and Jesus Aguilar each have a hit off of Humberto. Humberto's been a mixed bag this year. Over his last three starts, he's given up 0 runs, 5 runs, and 2 runs. Even more mixed is the fact he has pitched 5.2, 2, and 5 innings in each of those respective starts. Overall, he has pitched 19.2 innings, giving up 19 hits, 9 runs, walking 6, and striking out 12 while having a 2-1 record. Humberto can beat the Marlins and will look to do so once again.
Tuesday, May 10th, Marlins @ Dbacks, 6:40 PM AZ Time
Jesus Luzardo vs Madison Bumgarner
The Diamondbacks didn't face Luzardo in the last series so this will be a new test for this offense. They have limited experience against him in the past. Ahmed is 1 for 4 against him, Luplow is 1 for 2, and Marte is 2 for 3. Jesus is pitching better than he has in his MLB career to this point. His fastball is faster than before which makes his off-speed pitches harder to hit. He's 2-2 over his 5 games started. In that span, he's pitched 26.1 innings of 3.08 ERA ball, given up 16 hits, 9 runs, 12 walks, and a whopping 35 Ks. This will be a tough battle for the Diamondbacks hitters to face. It'll be crucial for them to only swing at their pitches and battle for walks as that's the key against Luzardo. Get men on base.
It will be nerve-wracking to see how MadBum does after such a long lay-off. He only pitched 1 inning last start which will have been 6 days prior. Will he be rusty? Time will only tell. Miami hitters are used to MadBum. Jacob Stallings is 3 for 7 while Miguel Rojas is 5 for 15. Both of them have an HR off of the lefty. Jesus Aguilar only has 3 hits in 15 at-bats. Overall, MadBum is 1-1 across 24 innings and 6 starts. He's given up 16 hits, walked 11, and struck out 15. His ERA is a sparkling 1.50. Those walks are scary, but MadBum has only walked 1 batter in his last 11 innings pitched.
Wednesday, May 11th, Marlins @ Dbacks, 12:40 PM AZ Time
Sandy Alcantara vs Merrill Kelly
Ace vs Ace of their respective teams for the get-away game. In the season finale between these two teams, the Dbacks will face Sandy whom they've not faced yet this season. Nick Ahmed is 1-for-6 while Marte is 1-for-2. Christian Walker has an HR and is 3-for-6 against him. Rojas has hit an HR off him too. On the season, Sandy has started 6 games and pitched 35.2 innings of 3.03 ERA ball and going 2-2. He's given up 31 hits, 12 runs, 16 walks, and 31 Ks. Once again, the Dbacks must work the walk, avoid the K, and get hits with guys on base.
Merrill Kelly will be seeking the first complete game of his career after pitching 8.2 innings against the Rockies on Friday. He's been amazing this season ranking 1st among pitchers in the MLB in WAR(1.9), 2nd in ERA behind fellow ace Gallen, 4th in innings, and yet to allow an HR. He's first in WPA or Win Probability Added with 1.4. His adjusted ERA+ is 326, 3rd in the MLB. Jesus Aguilar is 1-for-3 while Avisail Garcia is 3-for-5, and Miguel Rojas has an HR in his 2 hits off Kelly. On the season, Kelly is 3-1 over his 6 games started with 37 innings, 34 Ks, 1.03 WHIP, 29 hits, 5 runs allowed, and 9 walks. Across his last 3 starts, Merrill has pitched 21.2 innings, given up 4 runs, and struck out 16 batters.
Let's hope the Diamondbacks can win another series! Let's see the Dbacks shock the MLB once again!
I just realized that over the past 3 years or so, the #Dbacks have had 3 different iterations of Zac/h/k on the team with no more than 2 ever being on the roster at the same time. Random fact of the day.
— VenomStrikes (@venomstrikesFS) May 9, 2022