A team is going to make a sweep and was unsure if their starter would make their scheduled start. The other does not go at all with a starter.
This is the case on Sunday when the Cincinnati Reds aim for their fifth straight win as they host the Arizona Diamonds to wrap up their three-game set
Take the ball for the Reds is right-hander Luke Weaver (2-2, 7.22 ERA) who has been beaten at times, and literally on his last start
Weaver was kicked out of Tuesday’s game against the visiting San Francisco Giants when Michael Conforto tore a line down the middle. The ball hit Weaver on the back of his left elbow as he turned to try to dodge the ball. Within minutes, the elbow was noticeably swollen and her arm went numb.
In 2 2/3 innings, Weaver allowed four runs on four hits, including two homers and a walk. He also struck out six, in part because he threw his best fastball of the season at 97 mph.
“He had given up a few points there, a few mistakes on the circuits, but he absolutely had a few more rounds in him,” Reds said manager David Bell, noting Weaver’s increased speed
THE Reds used six more pitchers and lost that game 11-10, extending their skid to six games, although they have since won four straight
Later in the week, Weaver declared himself fit to take his turn in the rotation. In three games of his career against the Diamondbacksincluding two starts, he is 0-1 with a 4.85 ERA in 13 innings
THE Diamondbacks do not have a traditional starter available. The team announced after Saturday’s game that reliever Jose Ruiz (2-1, 5.48) would start what appears to be a bullpen game.
Ruiz, a right-hander who is in his seventh season in the majors and the Diamondbacks bought from the Chicago White Sox on April 9, will be making his 38th appearance, all in relief, between the two teams. Three times he pitched two innings, his longest of the season
Ruiz has made five relief appearances in his career against the Reds, including pitching the ninth inning Friday night. He walked one and struck out two in Cincinnati’s 9-6 win
THE Diamondbacks have lost six of eight games since the All-Star break and 11 of their last 15
“I see us sometimes going out of our plan and out of our process,” manager Torey Lovullo said on Saturday. “If I look at one thing, I’d probably say stay down, center, stack and hit the ball where you’re looking. When we do that, we’re pretty good.”
Lovullo said he also liked what he saw from right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who was in just his seventh major league start. He held the Reds beleaguered for five innings, striking out six. It could have gone wrong early on, however, when a single, error and hit charged the no-out bases in the first.
Instead, Pfaadt got back-to-back outs and one out to walk away unscathed.
After the Diamondbacks took a 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth, Pfaadt gave up three straight solo homers late in the inning, and the Reds won 4-2
“I’m going to point out the good things he did. Coming out of that first run gave him that momentum for the next five. He made some statements there,” Lovullo said.
–Field-Level Media
