It’s probably not a stretch to call tonight and tomorrow’s games “must win”, for the faint hopes of the D-backs mounting one of the all-time greatest comebacks and making the post-season. Not necessarily so much for the direct impact in the standings. But if you are only capable of splitting a series with the Rockies – Coors Field or not – then you really should not be giving the playoffs the slightest thought. For Arizona’s schedule only gets significantly harder after this, and leaving Colorado
as many games below .500 as they arrived, cannot be considered as getting the job done.
So, Ryne Nelson starts, coming off one of his uglier starts of the season in Texas. Generally, he has not performed as well on the road as at Chase Field this year. All told (and including relief appearances as well as starts), here’s how Nelson’s splits line up.
Home: 5-1, 2.20 ERA, 57.1 IP, 44 H, 3 HR, 9 BB 48 SO
Road: 1-2, 4.93 ERA, 49.1 IP, 39 H, 9 HR, 21 BB, 47 SO
The much higher walk-rate away from Phoenix is what stands out in particular, and the vulnerability to the long ball on the road too. Coors Field will certainly be a challenge in both departments for Ryne.
As MarteGate (KetelGate?) continues to swirl, Ketel Marte is starting at DH this afternoon, with Connor Kaiser in the line-up at second. I doubt there’s anything meaningful to it. But you could read it, if you’re of a conspiratorial frame of mind, as Torey Lovullo wanting to minimize the potential distractions to Marte. If you do, you probably also want to blame last night’s lackluster showing from the offense on internal clubhouse tensions. I’m not going to go there, however, and am inclined to forget about the whole situation until the off-season, when we may gain some more clarity as whatever unfolds, unfolds.
