Diamondbacks And Pirates Face Off For Weekend Series
By Blake Benard
Fresh off their two-game split with the Texas Rangers, the Arizona Diamondbacks look to continue their unexpected start to 2015 as they welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates to the desert for a three-game slate.
The Diamondbacks are coming off a rest day on Thursday while the Pirates will be traveling from Chicago after splitting a four-game series with the Cubs.
Apr 22, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Archie Bradley (25) pitches against the Texas Rangers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
At 8-7, the Diamondbacks continue to surprise baseball. They already have two series wins against division foes, the Dodgers and Giants, and starting pitcher Archie Bradley has the looks of a genuine ace. Additionally, behind Inciarte, Pollock, Goldschmidt, and Trumbo, their offense continues to dominate. Currently it ranks among the National League’s best, scoring 69 runs which is second only to San Diego’s 84.
The question still remains with the pitching staff. To date, the Diamondbacks have yet to win a game where they have scored less than four runs. Their only hope for an above .500 season rests on the success of their starting five. Can they win the low scoring games? The team has yet to prove that they can.
Let’s quickly lay out the pitching matchups for the weekend.
Friday – The Friday night game will be a matchup of two pitchers looking to capitalize on their recent success.
Diamondbacks opening day starter Josh Collmenter is coming off one of the best performances of his career after throwing the first complete game shutout in Major League Baseball this year. Collmenter went the distance against the San Francisco Giants allowing 4 hits and 1 walk to pick up his first win of the year.
On the other side of the diamond, Pirates righty Gerrit Cole is riding a two-game hot streak where he has thrown 6 innings of one-run ball in each start.
First pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. MT.
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Saturday – Rubby De La Rosa will get the start against Pirates veteran A.J. Burnett.
After a less-than-glorious Diamondback debut, Rubby De La Rosa has put together back-to-back quality starts. In his last outing, De La Rosa threw 6.2 innings, allowing 3 runs on 9 hits while striking out 7.
Burnett hasn’t allowed more than two runs through his first three starts of 2015. His last outing saw him throw 6 innings of one-run ball against the Chicago Cubs.
First pitch scheduled for 5:10 p.m. MT.
Apr 3, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson (58) throws during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Sunday – In the series finale, the Diamondbacks will trot out Jeremy Hellickson to face Pirates lefty Francisco Liriano.
In his last outing, Hellickson struggled early but settled down to piece together his best start and first win as an Arizona Diamondback. He shut down the Giants offense en route to throwing 6.2 innings and allowing only one run on eight hits.
Liriano will be looking to rebound after his worst start of 2015. While he only allowed three hits, he didn’t get past the fifth inning and received a no decision.
First pitch scheduled for 1:10 p.m. MT.
Who To Watch
Nick Ahmed (ARI) – The Diamondbacks rookie shortstop could be in danger of losing his starting job and being sent back down to Triple-A. To date, he’s hitting an atrocious .136 with only one extra-base hit and one RBI. Without an above-average weekend at the plate, the Diamondbacks might send him to the minors.
Chris Owings (ARI) – After a horrible start to 2015 at the dish, Owings appears to be back in the swing of things. He’s hitting .333 over the last week, including his first home run of the year against the Rangers.
Starling Marte (PIT) – Marte leads the Pirates in home runs and RBI’s but is currently day-to-day with a bruised right hand although he did pinch run during Pittsburgh’s 5-4 Thursday victory.
Yasmany Tomas (ARI) – The highly anticipated Cuban signee made his first MLB start against the Rangers on Tuesday and went 2-3 with two singles but also a had a error manning the hot corner. How much playing time will he get and will he be able to take advantage of it?