The Arizona Diamondbacks (6-7) will welcome the St. Louis Cardinals (6-7) into Chase Field for a three-game series. Bullpen struggles and inconsistent offense caused the D-backs to go 2-4 on their last road trip, but ended on a high note by winning the last two games in Colorado. The Cardinals are coming off a series loss against the Phillies.
Cardinals Offense
St. Louis has had a hard time putting together any runs to start this year. They have a -5 run differential and have scored more than three runs only three times. Paul Goldschmidt, a former star of the Diamondbacks, opened the season 3-4 with a home run but has since gone 5-40 with 15 strikeouts. League. Lars Nootbaar was activated from the injured list Friday, he will likely provide some much-needed offensive support for the Cardinals.
Diamondbacks Offense
Ketel Marte has been the spark plug as the leadoff hitter this season. He is batting .294 with a .885 OPS. Blaze Alexander has been a great replacement for the injured Geraldo Perdomo so far, batting a team-leading .345 with two home runs, and currently has a 4-game hitting streak. His defense has been lackluster with three errors in just 35 innings at shortstop, so hopefully he can clean it up in the field down the stretch. As a team, the Diamondbacks usually strike first but disappear in late and close situations. They’ve scored 60 runs in the first six innings (t-1st in MLB), but only nine runs in the 7th inning or later (t-26th in MLB).
Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday, April 12, 6:40 P.M. MST
Steven Matz (STL) 1-0, 1.74 ERA, vs. Brandon Pfaadt (ARI) 1-0, 5.06 ERA
This season, the 32-year-old southpaw Matz is off to a strong start, pitching well in his first two appearances. He most recently faced the Marlins and lasted five innings without giving up a run while allowing just four hits, a walk, and three strikeouts. In the previous season, he outdueled Merrill Kelly, who allowed just one run, by throwing six scoreless innings at Chase Field against the D-backs. In the eighth inning, the D-backs scored three runs to win the game.
In his most recent appearance against the Braves, Pfaadt was pitching well until he was struck by Marcel Ozuna’s three-run home run in the fifth inning. He threw 5.2 innings, walking none and striking out seven, giving up five runs.
Saturday, April 13th, 5:10 P.M. MST
Kyle Gibson, (STL) 1-1, 6.23 ERA vs. Ryne Nelson (ARI) 0-2, 8.22 ERA
36-year-old Kyle Gibson had a 4.73 ERA despite being 15-9 in 33 starts with the Orioles the previous season. His market was restricted during the off-season by his age and run prevention characteristics. In his debut start, he pitched brilliantly, going seven innings and allowing the Padres only two runs in a winning effort. He took the loss on April 7th after being blasted for seven runs on seven hits, including two home runs against the Marlins
Nelson pitched well against the Braves in his last game, going five innings while giving up three runs. He struck out seven and didn’t walk a hitter while showcasing strong secondary pitches that compensated for his strong fastball. Still, he surrendered two home runs. Compared to his first appearance, where he gave up five runs to the Rockies in just 2.2 innings, this one lasted much longer. It would be good to see the youngster work deeper into games.
Sunday, April 14th, 1:10 P.M. MST
Miles Mikolas, (STL) 1-1, 4.76 ERA vs. Zac Gallen (ARI) 2-0, 2.25 ERA
Mikolas has been excellent in both of his past two outings following a very ugly showing on Opening Day against the Padres. allowing just two runs in each of his two starts while throwing 6.0 and 6.2 innings. Although he has only struck out 12 batters in 17 innings, he has only allowed 5 walks and has not allowed a home run in his previous two appearances.
On April 8, Gallen’s pitch count abruptly increased against the Rockies, limiting him to five innings. Despite giving up three runs in a no-decision, he did not walk a hitter and recorded a season-high ten strikeouts. With 19 strikeouts against just five walks in 16 innings, he has yet to allow a home run. The D-backs ace has been one of the best pitchers in baseball when he has home-field advantage. In his career when pitching at Chase Field, he has a 26-16 record with a 2.82 ERA and has struck out 395 batters in 348.0 innings.
